Dragons could command clouds, they could summon rain. When benevolent, they brought favorable weather. When furious, they churned rivers and overturned seas.
The Dragon King of the South Sea was now at the height of his rage, rolling, spinning, and striking in the azure ocean, wantonly venting his fury.
The giant waves he raised surged toward the sky again and again, as if wanting to blend heaven and water into one color.
Li Tai greedily watched the boiling sea, the fervent light in his eyes seeming to melt stone. During this period, the sea he had seen was always so calm, gentle as a virgin. He hadn’t expected there would be such violent times.
Wind drilled in through cracks in the rock, bringing all sorts of ghostly wails and divine howls, which in Li Tai’s ears all transformed into the war drums of heaven and earth, wave after wave spurring excitement, making his blood burn.
Along with the wind came rain mist. This wasn’t like the gentle apricot blossom rain of the third month that would let you stroll and cultivate poetic feelings. The torrential rain brought by the hurricane only stung painfully when it struck the face.
“The might of heaven and earth reaches such extremes! A true man should pilot a giant vessel on the sea and contend with terrifying waves. To die thus would be without regret!”
“I generally call that kind of person an idiot. When hurricanes come, we all hide in harbors or bays. If possible, we even want to drag our ships ashore. As for the kind of person you mentioned—they’re generally only fit for feeding fish.”
Yun Ye held half a lamb leg, frowning as he roasted it over a sparking bonfire. In the dim cave, only faint light penetrated. The flickering firelight made his face appear alternately bright and dark.
The trade winds had come, but unexpectedly, so had a hurricane. Yun Ye didn’t have Li Tai’s romantic sentiments. He was only praying for the hurricane to pass quickly, preferably for the sea to become calm immediately. Just now Liu Jinbao had reported back that the wooden houses built by the seaside had been swept away by the violent wind to who knows where. Even coconut trees with few crown branches had been uprooted by the wind and were flying through the air—the sight was terrifying.
He didn’t know whether Liu Renyuan, Dongyu, and Old Tie could make it through. Hopefully the three ships would be intact. Fortunately, they were all experienced seafarers who had detected the hurricane’s approach in advance and made preparations. The most important preparation was chasing Li Tai and himself off the ships. Old Tie believed this was the best opportunity to test the warships and disagreed with pulling the ships into the dock. Yun Ye thought the same way—it was best for new ships to undergo testing by the waves.
Knowing the hurricane would come, no one had expected it would be such a violent hurricane. Now Yun Ye regretted it deeply, and didn’t know what Old Tie thought now.
When hurricanes came, even Heaven was helpless. At this moment, saying anything was too late. They could only see whether their ship-handling skills could help them avoid being smashed to pieces, because what hurricanes loved to do most was push ships to shore and then viciously smash them onto reefs. Yun Ye wasn’t very worried about Liu Renyuan, Dongyu, and Old Tie—these people’s seafaring experience was truly too rich. As long as there was the slightest possibility, they could survive. He just didn’t know whether the so-called experts the Emperor had sent to his son, and those Feng Family sons, could survive.
Yun Ye cut off a piece of lamb and handed it to Feng Ang beside him, who remained silent, saying: “Does Duke Feng have regrets now?”
Feng Ang took the lamb but didn’t eat it. He solemnly asked Yun Ye: “Marquis Yun, is this the worst situation one can encounter at sea?”
“Very bad, but not the worst. Last time this junior was transporting grain back to Chang’an, we encountered a waterspout, which was even worse than this. Once you’re at sea, don’t count on your luck. You can calculate from the losses suffered by sea merchants just how much risk is involved.”
Feng Ang chewed the delicious lamb in his mouth, but it tasted like wax. The Feng Family’s elite disciples were now all on the ships. He couldn’t possibly remain indifferent. The Feng Family wanting to pioneer a maritime era still had a very long road to travel.
“My lord, this humble one seems to hear the sound of ox horn signals.” Liu Jinbao, with a rope tied around his waist and soaking wet as if fished from water, wiped the rain from his face as he entered the cave to report.
“The wind has lessened. Liu Renyuan and the others are using zigzag patterns to avoid the waves. At this time, I’ve heard you can only advance into the wind. If you turn sideways, the ship will be capsized. It looks like they’re all right.” Yun Ye tilted his head and listened for a while. The sound of the wind wasn’t as piercing as before. Faintly, signal sounds could be heard. The cliff face where the cave was located happened to face the sea. The arc-shaped cliff formed a huge sound receiver. This was the best seaside lookout and observation point.
Seeing Yun Ye begin to eat with relief, Feng Ang’s heart also settled. Only Li Tai still hadn’t seen enough of such spectacular meteorological phenomena. He muttered quietly a couple of times, drawing angry glares from both Yun Ye and Feng Ang. Li Tai sheepishly touched his nose, walked to the bonfire, took the lamb leg from Yun Ye’s hand, and cut it with a small knife to eat.
The sky darkened. The last light disappeared without trace under the cover of dark clouds. The wind and waves on the sea surface were still very strong. This was when seamanship was most tested. In a pitch-black environment, being able to strictly follow the captain’s commands, advance along the designated direction, and avoid one’s own ships—such captains were true experts.
What Yun Ye, Feng Ang, and Li Tai thought at this moment was useless. They could only wait until daybreak tomorrow. Lying in bed, Yun Ye fell asleep accompanied by Feng Ang’s prayer sounds.
After daybreak, Yun Ye heard the shrill cries of seagulls and knew the dark clouds outside had dispersed. Walking out of the cave, the scene before him was one of devastation. The wind still blew sharp whistles as it howled. Although the waves weren’t as violent as yesterday, their lingering force remained. Meter-high waves swept up debris from the sea surface and crashed viciously against the reefs, venting their remaining fury.
Not a single ship was on the sea surface. Feng Ang looked back at Yun Ye in alarm, wanting Yun Ye to tell him some reassuring news.
“Duke Feng, don’t be alarmed. With such great wind and waves last night, it would be strange if they could still remain in place. At this time, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already reached Guangzhou. Believe me, they’re fine. They’ll return soon.”
Feng Ang pointed at a wrecked ship on the beach and said to Yun Ye: “Look at what that is?” After speaking, he quickly descended the stone steps. Yun Ye and Li Tai hurriedly followed. When they got close, Yun Ye laughed. This wasn’t any of the three ships, but a square-headed, square-brained strange vessel. How did this thing end up at sea? Such ships were only suitable for inland rivers.
“My lord, this is a Goguryeo ship. Only Goguryeo ships look like this. When the great wind arose, this ship must have been nearby. Look, this isn’t a merchant ship—the striking pole is still there. This is a warship!”
Old Tie from the shipyard had already boarded the ship. Seeing Yun Ye and the others arrive, he quickly jumped down from the ship to report.
“A Goguryeo ship? Who permitted them to come to the South Sea?” Yun Ye’s anger immediately flared up. Goguryeo merchant ships weren’t even allowed near the South Sea, let alone warships. Across such vast distances, where had they obtained supplies?
The Great Tang implemented a blockade policy against Goguryeo, cutting off all land trade and all maritime trade as well. Great Tang sea merchants absolutely dared not and would not touch this prohibition. Apart from slave ships that could approach harbors, if other merchant ships were seen, there would be no path except sinking.
There wasn’t a single person on the ship. Feng Ang immediately ordered guards to search along the coast. They absolutely couldn’t let any suspicious person escape. Yun Ye and Li Tai issued the same orders.
Before noon, subordinates came to report that they had found people, but all were corpses—nine in total. Not only Goguryeo people, but also Wa people. It looked like the big ship had already been leaking. They abandoned ship and fled, boarding small boats. As a result, the big ship reached shore while the small boats were capsized by wind and waves. All were drowned. The flag on the ship was very strange—also a skeleton flag.
Yun Ye examined the flag repeatedly twice and discovered this flag was very similar to his own. His flag was a skull with two crossed bones. This flag just had a sinister skull, but at the very top was also a three-legged crow with a serrated crown on its head.
“Marquis Yun, this is the flag of a group of Goguryeo pirates. This old man has already received multiple reports saying there’s a group of pirates specifically plundering Great Tang merchant ships, very ruthless in their methods. I’ve heard the leader is a very beautiful woman, who seems to be a Goguryeo or Wa noble. Their combat power is formidable. Great Tang merchant ships are all armed. Many merchant ships hire escort agencies for protection. In Guangzhou alone, there are no fewer than thirty escort agencies—all wandering warriors from various places, and also soldiers retired from the military. Anyone who can do this work is a capable fellow. But this old man still constantly receives reports of plundering. Therefore, this group can only be Goguryeo or Wa military forces. Unfortunately, this old man’s reach is too short for maritime affairs. Otherwise, I would definitely capture their bandit chief and hold Goguryeo’s king and Wa’s king accountable.”
Yun Ye tossed aside the flag in his hand and said to Li Tai with a smile: “We’ve encountered an old acquaintance. Tell me, who could be the woman capable of simultaneously commanding warriors from both Goguryeo and Wa?”
Li Tai looked around and said to Feng Ang: “Duke Yue, you left in a hurry back then and didn’t see that dance. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the ‘Heavenly Demon Dance’?”
Feng Ang said doubtfully: “This old man has long resided in Lingnan and indeed lacks insight into the splendors of the Central Plains. I don’t know what connection this ‘Heavenly Demon Dance’ has with female pirates?”
Li Tai laughed with a cackling sound and said: “Think about it—six completely naked women dancing, striking various seductive poses. I’ve heard there are even secret drugs to assist. When watching this dance, it most makes one’s blood boil. One can’t help but want to enter the venue and dance together. Illusions proliferate in one’s mind. This Prince watched it once and nearly made a fool of himself. You don’t know—the one leading the dance was the Wa princess. I’ve heard she’s now become the Wa’s supreme treasure. The ‘Heavenly Demon Dance’ has enchanted all of Wa’s people. It can only be performed at great ceremonies.”
“Lewd and evil dances—ordinarily entertaining people is one thing, but how can ancestor ceremonies be desecrated?” Feng Ang expressed his extreme disdain, while also subtly expressing his desire to see it.
“What difficulty is there in that? When our warships return, this Prince will personally take action, capture Takayama Yoko, and have her perform the dance for the Duke!” Li Tai patted the rotten planks of the wrecked ship, speaking with heroic spirit reaching the clouds.