Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 503 A Great Opportunity? Fishing for Dragons in the South China Sea!

"Brother Chen, stop! They seem to have surrendered!"

Zhang Cuishan looked at Chen Jie and said, "Chen Jie looked at Zhang Cuishan, then his eyes turned to the warship in the distance that had raised a white flag and was already on fire."

Chen Jie said, "We can sink it; we don't need any prisoners."

At this moment, Fang Susu walked over and said, "They still have spoils on their ship, so it would be a waste for them to sink. Also, it's a bit strange. Logically speaking, we are flying a merchant flag, so pirates would usually come over and ask for money directly instead of choosing to start a war."

Chen Jie looked at Fang Susu with a puzzled expression and asked, "What is a merchant flag?"

Fang Susu said, "The shipping merchants are the old merchant fleets that have dominated this sea area. These old merchant fleets are quite powerful, and they also have good relations with the major forces at sea."

"Therefore, it was not worthwhile for pirates to rob such merchant ships. But pirates were businessmen, and this was their livelihood. You can't deprive them of their food. So all the merchants sailing on the sea would fly a flag jointly issued by the pirate alliance, and every time the pirates encountered one, they would dock their ships."

"The merchants would give one-twentieth of the value of all their cargo to the pirates who came to plunder it."

“There will be no conflict between the two sides. After the robbery, the pirates will give the merchant a flag of their pirate crew and make the latest mark on the flag.”

"This means that the merchant was robbed once, then continued sailing, encountered the next pirate, and was robbed twice. After that, no other pirates were allowed to touch the cargo, and the merchant could sail freely throughout the South China Sea."

"The purpose of doing this is to ensure that merchant ships can always pass through the area. Pirates also value sustainable development and cannot exhaust the resources of the area."

"This is basically an ironclad rule in this sea area; almost no one would openly disobey the orders issued by the pirate alliance."

As Fang Susu spoke, Chen Jie was taken aback and asked, "What kind of iron edict has such strong binding force?"

Fang Susu said, "This rule was set by thirteen major pirate groups, including one vote cast by our Divine Dragon Sect. These thirteen groups are basically the sum of all the large pirate groups in the South China Sea."

"This also includes several large state-owned pirate groups, such as the Elephant Pirates of Siam and the Iron Monkey Pirates of Baiyue."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Fang Susu and said, "Their country also has its own pirate groups."

Fang Susu said, "Naturally, eight of the thirteen large pirate groups have state backing, all from countries along the southeast coast, while the remaining five are all from various major powers. To dominate the South China Sea, it's not enough to just have one or two warships."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie nodded slightly, understanding. Indeed, whether on land or at sea, it was impossible to develop without a powerful force.

"So, shouldn't this warship, which blatantly defies the pirate alliance treaty, be destroyed even more?"

Fang Susu said, "I think I've seen this warship before. I also think I know their captain. He's a red-haired devil named Garuno. It seems they were a group of Iberians who heard from someone named Marco Polo that the East was full of gold, so they stumbled and robbed their way to the South China Sea."

"He is quite well-known for his superior artillery, and he is usually quite sensible in his actions, so I find it even more strange that he would attack us like a madman."

After listening to Fang Susu's words, Chen Jie calmed down. There must be something fishy about anything that is out of the ordinary. This matter revealed something strange, so there must be something he didn't know about it.

Having figured this out, Chen Jie said, "Then let's go over there and make them hand over their valuables. Also, let's ask them if they've gone mad and dare to open fire on us."

Upon hearing this, the ship immediately sailed forward.

Upon reaching the ship, Fang Susu stood at the bow and looked at Garuno, who was holding a white flag, and said, "Garuno, have you lost your mind? How dare you attack a ship?"

Garuno, the red-haired devil, immediately said in broken Chinese, "My God, it's the noble Miss Fang! How could you be on such a cheap cargo ship? If I had known it was you, I would never have dared to fire at you! My noble Miss Fang."

"A salute to the great Dragon King!"

Garuno was all smiles and fawning, but Fang Susu wouldn't let him off so easily because of his sweet talk.

At this moment, Fang Susu said, "Enough nonsense, Garuno. You know that when you fired at my Divine Dragon Cult's merchant ship, it meant war. Since you have been defeated, according to the rules, you should offer up all the treasures on your ship, and then have your men tie their own hands and come out of the ship."

"Otherwise, you can just wait to sink to the bottom of the sea and become shark food."

"Oh no, Miss Fang, the treasure is all hard-earned money, it's my blood and sweat. Please, leave some for me."

Fang Susu said, "So you've chosen to sink into the sea and feed the fish? Then let you and your treasure sink!"

Upon hearing this, Garuno cried and said, "No, Miss Fang, please don't do this. This is too cruel. Making a pirate hand over his treasure is worse than killing him."

Fang Susu replied, "You can choose not to give it."

Garuno said, "I, I wouldn't dare. Men, quickly move my treasure out. Damn it, the cabin is flooded! Get those guys out too, or they'll all drown."

Upon hearing Garuno's words, two large wooden crates were quickly dragged out from inside and brought to the bow of the ship. At this point, Garuno said, "My noble Miss Fang, this is all my possessions."

Fang Susu looked down at the two wooden chests filled with gold and silver jewelry, and then asked Garuno, "Is that all?"

“My God, you don’t believe me? I am the most trustworthy knight in our country. We never lie. Besides, my ship is sinking. I can’t let my treasure sink into the sea.”

Fang Susu said, "Very well, then bring your treasure over. I advise you not to play any tricks, otherwise the people on my ship can chop you into pieces and throw you into the water to feed the fish in no time."

"Oh God, Miss Fang, how foolish I was to try to outsmart a god who can throw cannonballs with his bare hands."

"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid."

Upon hearing this, Fang Susu said, "I hope you're not really that foolish."

After saying that, Fang Susu waved her hand and said, "Set up a springboard and let them come over."

Upon hearing this, the ship immediately brought out a gangplank and summoned Garano, who then rushed over with his men.

At this moment, Fang Susu waved her hand, and her men rushed up and tied up Garuno in a few moves.

Throughout the entire process, Garuno dared not resist and behaved very obediently. At this moment, Fang Susu looked at Garuno and said, "Let your people come over as well."

Upon hearing this, Garuno said, "My esteemed Miss Fang, there are many people on my ship. I hope you are prepared."

Fang Susu looked at the ship, which was much smaller than her own, and said, "How many people can it carry? We can fit them all."

Garuno said, "That's good."

Then Garuno shouted, "Come out, everyone!"

Upon hearing this, the hatch opened, and one by one, disheveled people were brought in, their hands bound, as if they were slaves.

Many of these people had lifeless eyes, which suggested that they had been imprisoned for a long time and were not used to the world around them.

Some people have a strong aversion to light; when the sunlight is too bright, they will intentionally avoid it, which clearly means they haven't seen the sun for a long time.

Upon seeing these people, Fang Susu was immediately enraged and exclaimed, "Garuno, you actually smuggled slaves!"

"Are you tired of living?!"

As she spoke, Fang Susu drew her sword and held it to Garuno's neck. Garuno was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud and said, "Innocent! Innocent! Miss Fang, I did not smuggle slaves."

Fang Susu asked, "Then what's going on with these people?"

Garuno said, "These are the merchants and fishermen I kidnapped."

Upon hearing this, Fang Susu said, "Are you kidding me? I can understand you kidnapping merchants and demanding money, but why kidnap fishermen? They don't have any money either!"

Upon hearing this, Garuno said, "Miss Fang, I... I was forced into this. If I don't capture enough slaves, the poison they gave me will take effect, and I will die. I don't want to go to see God so soon!"

Upon hearing Garuno's words, Fang Susu frowned and asked, "Poisoning? Who poisoned you?"

Garuno said, "I... I don't know either. They were a group of men in black robes."

Upon hearing this, Fang Susu said, "Tell us the details."

Chen Jie was sitting to the side listening.

At this point, Garuno immediately replied, "It happened about two weeks ago. We were sailing normally at sea when we encountered a merchant ship we had never seen before. They wanted to rob us."

"When we first approached, the other side did not react. It wasn't until we boarded the ship that we discovered it was full of slaves."

I had no idea where these slaves were being taken. I sensed something was wrong and prepared to escape the ship, but before I could leave, a group of men in black robes suddenly appeared. The leader was very powerful and subdued us all with a wave of his hand.

They poisoned us and told us that we had to prepare three hundred living people for them within half a month, otherwise the poison would kill us.

After poisoning us, they sailed away. After we were released, we felt haunted by evil spirits every night. We were afraid of being haunted by these evil spirits, so we decided to listen to the man in black and prepare enough living people for him.

However, after sailing at sea for more than ten days, they finally harvested about 120 people, which was far less than the 300 survivors.

With half a month to go, we were afraid we wouldn't be able to complete the mission, which is why we chose to attack the merchant's ship, and that's what angered Miss Fang.

"So please spare our lives, Miss Fang. We were really forced into this situation and absolutely did not intend to attack you."

Upon hearing this, Fang Susu was taken aback and looked at Chen Jiedao, "Brother Chen, what do you think?"

Fang Susu was still very stubborn. Although Chen Jie called her father Fang Guozhen "Third Brother," she didn't want to call him "Fourth Uncle." It has to be said that this woman was very rebellious.

However, Chen Jie didn't care about this. After all, according to that generation, he was really a junior with uncles and nephews everywhere!

Thinking this, Chen Jie asked, "Do you know why those people arrested so many people?"

Garuno was silent for a long time before saying, "I'm not entirely sure, but I learned from some pirates who were also threatened by the black-robed men that they seem to be planning to fish for dragons! These are all sacrifices."

Ok?
"Dragon fishing?" Chen Jie was stunned. These people really dared to say that. Dragon fishing? Was this the kind of dragon fishing he had imagined?

Garuno nodded slightly and said, "Yes, it's about fishing for dragons. Doesn't it sound absurd? But it seems like it's no joke. Almost all of the thirteen major pirate groups have been mobilized. By the way, apart from the people from the Divine Dragon Cult, Miss Fang, have you been isolated by the other pirates?"

Fang Susu frowned but did not answer. She had been away from the sect these past few days, so she might not have known if someone had sent a message.

Chen Jie then looked at Garuno and said, "No, you really believe that dragons exist in this world?"

Upon hearing this, Garuno said, "This legend of the dragon didn't originate from us, but from the Kingdom of Siam."

Siam?

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie turned to look at Zhao Fachai, who then walked over and said, "Brother Chen, according to the records of our Siamese martial arts, the great master Bodhidharma once used a reed as a boat to cross the South China Sea. He encountered a dragon in the South China Sea and subdued it with his strength. The dragon was no match for Bodhidharma and sank into the deep sea."

Bodhidharma did not wish to pursue them, so he marked that sea area as Hidden Dragon Abyss.

Hidden Dragon Abyss!
Chen Jie murmured, and Fang Susu said, "Hidden Dragon Abyss, that is a forbidden area for sailors. It is said that no less than a hundred warships have sunk in that vicinity."

"Therefore, very few people sail there."

After saying this, Fang Susu continued, "My father went there once, but when he got to the edge of the area, he said that the place was strange and not suitable for staying for long, so he took us away."

Zhaofa guessed, "That must be Uncle Fang. He discovered the traces of the dragon. If we follow what is written in our national records, Bodhidharma has been gone for a thousand years, and that dragon has also lived for a thousand years."

"This is too dangerous."

Zhao Fa guessed.

Garuno said, "The more dangerous the place, the greater the opportunity. If there really is a dragon, even picking up a single dragon scale would be a priceless treasure."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fachai looked at Garuno and said, "But you could lose your life."

Garuno said, "Men at sea are never afraid of danger, only of not having enough profit!"

Hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Garuno and had to admit that the thinking of these Westerners was different from that of the Easterners. Easterners generally seek victory through prudence, while Westerners want to gamble big right away.

This is actually a clash between two cultures, and this is the result.

For thousands of years, the East steadily suppressed the West, but in the last few centuries, due to conservatism, it missed the opportunity to divide the world during the Age of Exploration.

Chen Jie had thought about it countless times: if China hadn't made the mistake of embarking on the Age of Exploration, but instead had built upon Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean and begun to colonize the world, would the whole world be speaking Chinese now?

Some say that aggression and colonization are not good, but they are better than a century of humiliation.

Chen Jie's view is: I'd rather bear the infamy of this lifetime than let my descendants enjoy happiness for generations to come!

Chen Jie thought to himself, "Hmm, this dragon fishing in the South China Sea sounds quite bizarre, but we have important matters to attend to, so let's not get involved in these external affairs for now."

"Let's go to Siam first and find King Zhenguo Wuping."

After hearing Chen Jie's words, Fang Susu and the others were very curious, but they all decided not to go to Qianlong Abyss to join in the fun.

However, Garuno suddenly spoke up, "If you want to find King Wuping, you can't go to Siam. He's in Qianlongyuan."

"Ok?"

Chen Jie and the others were stunned and looked at Garuno. Garuno said, "I'm not joking. The Giant Elephant Pirates are among those heading to Qianlong Abyss this time, and the leader is none other than King Wuping, Na Xuan!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie frowned slightly.

I never expected that the person I was looking for would go to this Hidden Dragon Abyss.

At this moment, Fang Susu looked at Chen Jie and asked, "Brother Chen, what do you think?"

Zhao Fa guessed, "We should go to Qianlong Abyss. Uncle is there. Without Uncle, it will be difficult for us to defeat the Grand Preceptor."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie frowned slightly; things had become complicated.

Moreover, for some reason, Chen Jie had a feeling that the Hidden Dragon Abyss was part of a grand conspiracy. He also felt that there must be treasures in the Hidden Dragon Abyss; otherwise, these people wouldn't have been so secretive.

Chen Jie fell into deep thought. In the Kingdom of Siam, there was a national advisor who had reached the second level of the Fusion God realm. With his current strength, it would be difficult for him to defeat him.

Therefore, even if he were to go to the island now, he would likely return empty-handed, and the helper he needed to find was still that Prince Wuping, Na Xuan.

Meanwhile, Na Xuan led his national pirate crew, the Giant Elephant Pirate Crew, to Qianlong Abyss to fish for dragons.

If I go, I'll likely get caught up in this conflict.

Of course, just as Garuno said, the greater the danger, the greater the reward.

My purpose in leaving Siam this time is to save Fang Guozhen and, incidentally, to find the Hundred Losses Elder to complete the Winter Character Mantra. However, if there are other opportunities, I should do my best to help.

Besides, even if I went to Siam now, it seems I wouldn't be able to defeat that royal advisor. I still need to think of other ways to resolve this matter.

But who exactly is that man in black robes?

Chen Jie felt uneasy until he figured out where the man in the black robe came from.

Thinking of this, Chen Jie looked at Garuno and asked, "Did the man in black say where to hand over the person?"

Garuno said, "Zhangke Port of the Baiyue Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie asked, "The Baiyue Kingdom?"

He murmured, "Is it far from here?"

At this moment, Fang Susu said, "It's about a two-day journey, and we probably really need to go to Zhangke Port. Our ship suddenly has more than a hundred extra people, and we're afraid we won't have enough fresh water and food. We need to go to Zhangke Port to replenish our supplies."

Hearing this, Chen Jie said, "Alright then, let's go to Zhangke Port first to see what's going on, and then we'll talk about other things."

After hearing Chen Jie's words, no one had any objections. So Fang Susu immediately ordered that all the slaves and the more than thirty crew members, including Garuno, be detained. Then the entire army headed directly to Zhangke Port in Baiyue Kingdom.

Zhangke Port, located on the southeastern coast of the Baiyue Kingdom, was a very small trading port. However, due to its remote location and the relatively weak strength of the Baiyue Kingdom, it had little control over the port.

This port is actually a no-man's-land jointly controlled by thirteen pirate alliances.

Here, pirates can do anything without being bound by the law.

Therefore, this place is full of taverns and brothels, and is a melting pot of all races.

There were snow-white bodhisattvas, petite and charming Silla maids, dark-skinned Kunlun slaves, filthy pirates, and merchants who did business with pirates.

Here, money can buy you everything, but it can also make you an easy target for others.

Here, people can be trafficked, and treasures from all over the world can be auctioned. It can be said that this is a paradise for unrestrained people on the sea.

There are no laws here; the only protection is your personal force.

Of course, there aren't many strong individuals here. After all, the development of ships in this era is not good, and the strong are not willing to be powerful on the ocean. They prefer to dominate on the mainland, where there are more people.

Isn't it better to become a regional overlord than a pirate at sea?

Therefore, the general cultivation level of people here is below the Transformation Realm, and those who are slightly more powerful are only at the Wolf Smoke Realm or the Rainbow Realm.

These guys are already considered pretty good on the high seas, and Rulongjing is already at the captain level of a major pirate crew.

For example, Garuno's strength is only at the peak of the Changhong realm. Such a person is simply no match for Chen Jie, so Chen Jie is not in any danger here.

"Once we get ashore, we'll split into two groups. Dingbian and I will take Garuno to meet those men in black robes."

"Zhang Wuxia and Susu, you two are in charge of purchasing fresh water and food."

"As for Zhao Fachai, you few stay on the ship. First, protect the ship's safety, and second, protect your own safety."

"Also, Du Xiong, you stay in bed; you're still seasick."

After saying this, Chen Jie continued, "If we are still missing this time, you don't need to wait for us. Just wait for me near Qianlong Abyss. By the way, I want to emphasize one point: you must not get involved in the dragon fishing incident at Qianlong Abyss. This matter is not simple and is full of strange things."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in unison, indicating that they understood.

Chen Jie was actually quite at ease with these people. After all, there weren't many people at the Fusion God Realm in this South China Sea. As long as they didn't encounter anyone at the Fusion God Realm, their group could practically do whatever they wanted.

After assigning tasks, Chen Jie and Zhang Dingbian disguised themselves as Garuno's men and then escorted the living people Garuno had prepared onto the ship.

The sudden appearance of so many people startled those on the shore, but after Garuno pulled out a matchlock gun from his waist and fired a shot into the air, the number of people looking in their direction decreased considerably.

After all, there were quite a few people who bought and sold slaves, but not many who owned guns.

At this moment, Garuno, holding a musket, shouted, "The Vega Pirates have arrived! Get out of the way if you don't want to die!"

At his command, all his men behind him raised their matchlock guns.

Chen Jie was also assigned a matchlock gun. After looking at it, all Chen Jie could say was, "This workmanship is really rough!"
(End of this chapter)