Zhang Zhongjian arrived at the strait but could not get out. The strait garrison forces would not permit any ships to leave through the strait. This side of the strait was filled with sea vessels. No matter whether these merchants bribed or threatened, that water gate just would not open for these people. The captain guarding the gate wore a grim expression and would not listen to anyone’s explanations. Yesterday, a ship belonging to a meritorious noble family tried to force passage and was bombarded into fragments by the catapults and eight-ox crossbows on both sides of the mountain wall. The merchants who were lucky enough to survive were also executed on the spot by the captain, their heads still hanging on the water gate. After this, no one dared try to force passage anymore.
Half a month ago, the captain had still been a commandant. After the Lingnan naval forces suffered heavy losses, all officers and soldiers were collectively demoted three ranks. If not for the fact that guarding the strait was a hardship post, he wouldn’t even have the position of captain now. Whether out of public enmity or private hatred, there was absolutely no reason for him to show favoritism.
The soldiers guarding the strait numbered a full thirteen hundred men. Even with Qiu Ran Ke’s martial prowess, he dared not easily offend such a well-equipped government militia force. Standing at the bow of the ship and observing for a long while, he said to Hu Tonghai, “Take a detour. Our ship isn’t too large. Taking the risk of passing through that reef shoal is much better than waiting here. That captain hasn’t said when he’ll open passage. I estimate it won’t be for a short time. If Yun Ye’s ships arrive here, we’ll be in danger. He’s now killed until his eyes are red—he won’t be polite with us.”
Hu Tonghai hesitated for a moment, then nodded and gave the order to turn the bow toward that terrifying Devil Sea.
The Devil Sea was called the Devil Sea because the winds were high and waves were fierce here, with reefs standing everywhere. With the slightest carelessness, ships would crash into the reefs and be shattered to pieces. Since Yun Ye sealed off the strait, the number of pirates who died here was countless. Some had fantastical ideas of finding a new route through here, but those who entered all went and never returned.
If not for the two women in his cabin, Qiu Ran Ke would not take such a risk either. Thinking of the circumstances when he encountered Takayama Yoko, he felt pleased with himself. This woman had looked at him as if she had seen a ghost.
Qiu Ran Ke went down to the cabin. The cabin was filled with a lewd smell. Two naked women were bound in spread-eagle positions on the floor, their lower bodies a complete mess, ropes stuffed in their mouths. Only heavy gasping sounds proved they were still alive.
Qiu Ran Ke sat between the two women, his rough large hands beginning to roam over their bodies. He was accustomed to completely venting his desires before taking risks.
“A Japanese princess? Just a rotten whore, that’s all. Tsk tsk, look at these breasts, this ass—must have been ridden by thousands and straddled by tens of thousands, right? But this old man just likes this style. Back in the day on the South Sea, you didn’t manage to kill this old man. Now it’s this old man’s turn to do you in, hahaha! And there’s even a younger sister thrown in, hahaha…”
Hu Tonghai carefully steered. The five-tooth great warship had no rudder, only a thick wooden mast connecting to the steering oar at the stern. Operating it was extremely laborious. To maintain a consistent course required very superior skill. Fortunately, Hu Tonghai was an expert at operating this kind of ship. His eyes fixed on the sea surface, he carefully let this five-tooth great warship thread through the reefs.
Yao Ji came out from her cabin. Not finding Qiu Ran Ke, she asked Hu Tonghai. Hu Tonghai glanced meaningfully toward the lower cabin once, then continued watching the sea surface. He did not agree with Qiu Ran Ke’s decision to torture these two women to death. As an old pirate veteran of the seas, he knew that only by immediately cutting off these two women’s heads would be the most secure method.
Qiu Ran Ke’s breathing sounds were like a bellows being pulled back and forth. Only after a long while did it gradually subside. He untied the binding rope on Takayama Yoko’s mouth and said with a smile, “Your younger sister is much more flavorful than you. To still have a virgin on a pirate ship—that’s really a goddamn miracle. Looks like you love her dearly, eh? How about it? Did you see your sister’s wanton vigor? Even with one arm swollen, she’s better than you, heh heh.”
“Suffer slowly. When this old man gets tired of playing, I’ll give you to those servants who haven’t been castrated. There are several black fellows whose equipment is even bigger than this old man’s. They’ll definitely make you feel like dying from pleasure.”
After saying this, he stood up and walked outside naked. Yao Ji immediately came over, brought clean water to bathe Qiu Ran Ke. For Qiu Ran Ke’s body as hard as steel, she was always so infatuated.
“Yao Ji, don’t you go killing these two women for me. I still have use for them. You and I both nearly perished at this woman’s hands. When we return to Old Eagle Island, I’ll reward her to the brothers and guarantee her death will be beyond horrible.”
Yao Ji sweetly smiled at Qiu Ran Ke. Seeing Qiu Ran Ke go up on deck, she pushed open the door to the lower cabin and quietly walked in. Without even looking at Xiumei, whose whole body was covered in bruises, she sat beside Takayama Yoko without saying anything, just staring fixedly at Takayama Yoko. She wanted to see clearly—this lofty princess, having fallen to this state, could still make her mortal enemy endure not killing her. What kind of magic power did she possess?
“Miao clan woman, you dare be disrespectful to the princess?” Xiumei mustered all her strength to question Yao Ji.
“I am a Miao clan woman, you are Takahara Ichi. We were originally both just the princess’s body doubles, that’s all. Who is more noble than whom? Now I have a man, and my name has become Zhang woman. And you will soon be violated by the most lowly slaves. Takahara Ichi, you probably don’t know, but some Kunlun slaves are just like wild beasts. I’ve seen them assault those blue-eyed women. That scene—I don’t want to describe it.”
“As the princess’s body double, I already fulfilled my responsibility in the South Sea back then. Now you, this lowly maid, should address me as Madam Yao Ji, you filthy woman.”
“Qin Yuan is dead, Miao clan woman. Your brother Qin Yuan exhausted all his efforts and finally managed to remove his Miao clan surname and become Qin Yuan. He was a disciple of the great Tang scholar Chu Suiliang and was now an official in Quanzhou. When we attacked the Lingnan naval forces at Quanzhou Port, his identity was exposed by Yun Ye. He was hung at the bow of the ship and strangled to death alive. However, I heard his two children are still alive. If we die, those two children, with no one to provide for them, will starve to death alive. For Miao to want to become the ancient surname Qin Yuan will forever be just a delusion.”
Yao Ji stood up and stepped on Xiumei’s chest with her foot, saying, “Takahara Ichi, tell me the whereabouts of my two nephews, or I’ll let you die right now.”
Xiumei laughed with a gurgling sound: “What a woman who loves her own brother! Of course I’ll tell you where those two children are, but do you think Qiu Ran Ke will accept those two Japanese children? He accepted you because of shared hardships. For other Japanese people, he probably won’t have any good feelings, right? You’d better go ask Qiu Ran Ke first. If he agrees, then I’ll tell you the whereabouts of the two children. That won’t be too late—it’ll prevent him from finding out and crushing the two children to death with his bare hands.”
Yao Ji’s expression changed several times. She slowly withdrew from the cabin. She too wanted to know to what degree Qiu Ran Ke would be tolerant toward her.
Before long, Yao Ji returned. Qiu Ran Ke’s one sentence—”This old man only needs Japanese women. What would this old man want Japanese brats for?”—immediately extinguished all her hopes. She untied the rope from Takayama Yoko’s mouth, wanting to hear what Takayama Yoko would say.
“Don’t listen to Xiumei’s nonsense. Qin Yuan is a meritorious subject and cannot be blasphemed. Those two children have already been taken away by Osada. They will grow up safely. Qin Yuan’s spirit tablet will also receive offerings at Changle Palace.”
After saying this, Takayama Yoko closed her eyes, as if all matters outside had nothing to do with her. Heart like dead ashes, resigned to fate—people are like this in appearance.
Xiumei also sighed and said to Yao Ji, “Miao clan woman, I beg you to kill the princess right now. Leave the princess with a final shred of dignity. As for me, leave me to Qiu Ran Ke to vent his anger. This way it can also reduce his punishment toward you.”
“We are women, naturally born the weaker ones. The princess is unconvinced, and I’m also unconvinced. So we wanted to do some things that would make those men all convinced. Now we’ve failed—Heaven is punishing us. No matter how cleverly we planned, how close we came to success, in the end it will still be us who fail. In this world, being a woman is really so meaningless…”
Hu Tonghai got drunk. The five-tooth great warship took three days to traverse less than half the course through the Devil Sea. The path ahead would be even more perilous. Here there was a small harbor where the waves were slightly smaller. Everyone was already completely exhausted and needed to rest a bit. Only Qiu Ran Ke was like a man made of iron who knew no fatigue. Seeing his subordinates lying scattered all over the ship, he laughed heartily, then surrounded Yao Ji as they went down to the bottom deck. Tonight, there should be some more interesting games.
That night, a red moon appeared over the sea. The waves in the Devil Sea surged to the sky. Flying fish darted about at night over the sea. After Qiu Ran Ke entered the Devil Sea, there was never any further news…
Yun Ye looked over and over at this document written in a very fantastical manner, utterly puzzled. Why would Qiu Ran Ke insist on entering the Devil Sea? He himself hadn’t dared to send large ships into that dead zone back then, only sending in seven or eight covered warships. As a result, only two returned. The rest were all rolled up by the waves and thrown onto the reefs, smashed to pieces. More than twenty lives were also lost. Those covered warships only went in less than a hundred li—wasn’t this seeking death?
Never mind about all that. Once you go to sea, you should have the awareness of certain death. Yun Ye spread out paper and began writing a death announcement to Li Jing in the capital. He did not believe that steering a five-tooth great warship into the Devil Sea, one could return alive. Even if stranded on a deserted island, he had no way to rescue them. Playing themselves to death—they could blame no one else.
Yongzhou had now completely transformed into a large city. The city walls had already been expanded outward by two li. That fellow Liu Fulu was extraordinarily capable. He managed the entire Yongzhou in perfect order. The city’s functions were even beginning to expand toward the surroundings. If this continued, the Meng family stockade would sooner or later become a satellite city of Yongzhou.
Madam Hou was in very good spirits. Although wearing a simple hairpin and cloth skirt, her body looked even more robust. Yun Ye had actually always found it strange—the women of the Great Tang were clearly different from women of other dynasties. When their husbands died, it seemed each and every one of them would become very formidable. Just like Madam Hou now—standing there, Yun Ye had to step forward to offer his respects and greetings.