You promised steampunk martial arts, but you've got an internal combustion engine in your chest

The sea breeze, carrying salty, fishy vapors, swept across the deck.

Baili Jie leaned on the ship's railing, gazing at the distant outline of the land.

That was Shanghai, the city where he and his brother had lived for more than ten years.

At this moment, the lights of countless homes there are like stars embedded on the coastline, swaying gently with the rise and fall of the waves, as distant as another world.

Hua Xiangrong slowly walked to his side.

She had redone her makeup, a pipe dangling from her lips. She took a drag, exhaled a wisp of smoke, and smiled.

"Little brother, what are you looking at so intently?"

Baili Jie didn't turn around; his gaze remained fixed on that distant land, and his voice held a hint of emotion:

"Beautiful sister, I never imagined... this world is so vast."

Upon hearing this, Hua Xiangrong chuckled and exhaled a smoke ring: "What nonsense are you spouting, you little scholar? Of course the world is vast."

"I know."

Baili Jie shook his head: "I know that the Great Jing Dynasty's north-south border stretches 12,398 li from north to south and 16,833 li from east to west; the country is divided into 36 prefectures, totaling more than 180 counties, and there are also several tributary border prefectures... I know all of these by heart."

"But these are all things from books. I've lived in Shanghai since the day I was born. The city walls of Shanghai are my heaven; the leaders of the Grand Canal Gang are the most terrifying behemoths; and someone like you, beautiful sister, a master of the Qi Mind, is an unapproachable figure in my eyes..."

At this point, he suddenly smiled, a smile devoid of fear, but rather radiating a brightness:

"But now I realize that Shanghai is just a tiny place, only about half an hour away by that steam-powered carriage, and outside there is just a vast, boundless sea."

"I also just learned that although the Canal Gang can wield great power in Shanghai, in the rest of the world, they are nothing more than pawns of major sects, forced to grovel and grovel in order to keep their jobs."

"I also learned that an inner disciple of the Xuandu Immortal Temple could silence the entire Cao Gang... Mentioning his name would make everyone lower their heads."

He turned around, his eyes shining with an astonishing light:

"And how many other major sects and powerful clans like the Xuandu Immortal Temple are there in this world? Countless, aren't they? Just how vast is this world?"

Hua Xiangrong gradually wiped the smile off her face, her expression becoming somewhat complicated.

She was silent for a moment, then asked softly:

"What...are you scared?"

Baili Jie shook his head and said decisively:

"No. I...I'm very excited."

Hua Xiangrong was taken aback, her fingers pausing slightly.

Baili Jie looked directly into her eyes and smiled:

"Look, even the terrifying Cao Gang fought tooth and nail over my brother; my brother could cripple a disciple of the Xuandu Immortal Temple with a single kick, so what if flying swords are powerful?"

"Shanghai is indeed very large outside, but in the end, it's just one bigger Shanghai after another."

"Do those disciples from major sects have two more hands than us? Is their blood redder than ours?"

He took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and looked towards the horizon:

"There are so many places to go and so many things to see in this world... Just thinking about it makes me tremble with excitement."

Hua Xiangrong looked at the fourteen-year-old boy beside her, and for a moment, she couldn't utter a single word.

The light in those eyes was not the arrogance of youthful ignorance, but a yearning for and a desire to conquer the vast world.

She had seen countless so-called genius teenagers and many spirited young talents, but she had never seen such a blazing light in anyone's eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, she took a deep drag of her cigarette and gave a bitter laugh:

"You two brothers are both so unfathomable."

At that moment, a faint golden-red light appeared on the distant horizon.

Before we knew it, the sky had gradually brightened.

They had been waiting on this ship all night.

The sunrise at sea is a magnificent sight.

Golden-red light tore through the darkness, dyeing the entire sea surface a molten gold color, and the clouds on the horizon were inlaid with magnificent crimson patterns.

Hua Xiangrong subconsciously raised her hand to shield her eyes from the slightly dazzling morning light, and was about to say something in praise when her gaze suddenly sharpened.

Beneath the brilliant sunrise, several black outlines appeared on the horizon!

One by one, the black dots, approaching from afar, are rapidly growing larger and clearer.

That was a fleet of ships, their sails billowing, sailing menacingly toward this place!

The ship at the very front had a sharp bow, a very deep draft, and its hull was covered with a layer of black iron armor. Several steam vents were faintly visible on the deck, indicating that it had undergone high-end modifications.

Baili Jie saw it too. He squinted and strained to see: "Sister Hua, those boats are...?"

Hua Xiangrong's face turned extremely ugly in an instant. She stared intently at the fleet and said through gritted teeth:

"I recognize that ship's flag and style... It's the Rootless Ferry's ship! Damn it! How did they find their way here?!"

Without thinking twice, she turned around abruptly and ran wildly towards the other end of the deck.

Huanhuan had somehow found a sheltered corner, wrapped in a thin blanket, and was fast asleep. Hua Xiangrong didn't stand on ceremony; she rushed over, grabbed Huanhuan's shoulders, and began shaking her violently.

"Huanhuan! Wake up! Wake up!!"

"Um...what...?"

Huanhuan groggily opened her eyes: "What's wrong?"

"Wugen Ferry! Their fleet is here!! Quickly tell everyone in the cabins to start the boilers immediately and prepare to evacuate!!"

Hua Xiangrong said quickly.

Huanhuan instantly regained consciousness, her face turning deathly pale. She abruptly threw off the blanket and rushed into the depths of the cabin.

However, not long after, she stumbled back.

Her face was even paler than before, and her lips were trembling slightly.

"No... we can't leave."

Hua Xiangrong panicked: "How can we not get away?! They're still a long way off! We can make it!"

Huanhuan's gaze was somewhat vacant:

"Those three madmen... those three mechanical masters from the Chaosheng Society... dismantled several core components of the ship's boiler in order to save Baili Jing."

Hua Xiangrong was completely stunned:

"What?! Say that again?! They dismantled the ship's boiler to save Baili Jing?! What does that have to do with anything?!"

"I have no idea……"

Huanhuan's lips twitched slightly: "How could I dare ask why those three lunatics do what they do..."

Just then, Baili Jie's clear voice rang out from the deck:

"Sisters! That fleet over there... on the flagpole of the first ship, besides the flag of Wugen Ferry, there's also a black flag with a large '武' (martial) character embroidered on it. What does that mean?"

Upon hearing the word "martial arts," Hua Xiangrong and Huanhuan's bodies jolted almost simultaneously.

Hua Xiangrong's expression turned even more unpleasant, and she bit her red lips:

"The 'Wu' flag... belongs to that evil demon Wu Yan'an!"

The sea breeze howled past, causing everyone's robes to flutter loudly.

The outline of the black fleet in the distance is becoming clearer and clearer.