Chapter 97

PS: On the first day of release, there are three updates today. Thank you all for your support!

While cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

As the cherry petals danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

While the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

Standing at the classroom door, Xiaoming took a deep breath and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

By the seaside, the weather was unpredictable. In the morning, when Zhou Chong was at home, the sky was bright and sunny, the air warm and humid. If he closed his eyes, he might even have thought that spring had already arrived. But when Zhou Chong was tricked onto Xie Lingyun's ship, a strong wind blew from the northwest, and dark clouds covered the sky, indicating that a storm was imminent.

When he was first locked in the cabin, Zhou Chong paced back and forth like a caged beast, filled with anger towards Xie Lingyun. However, he soon calmed down and began to consider ways to escape. Zhou Chong, who had lived two lives, was resilient and would never give up hope until the very end.

To escape from this ship, he needed to understand why the Xie family had suddenly turned against him. At first, Zhou Chong couldn't figure it out, but after carefully reviewing his interactions with Xie Lingyun, he suddenly had an epiphany.

"Showing off too much!" Zhou Chong slapped himself hard. Despite living two lives, he had forgotten the most basic principle of getting along with others. Since he met Xie Lingyun, especially after reaching Shuangyu Port, he had always displayed superior talent. Moreover, the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce, which used to be on par with the Xie family, was a major chamber of commerce. From the Xie family's perspective, how could they possibly let him develop?

Once he understood why the Xie family was against him, Zhou Chong quickly felt despair. The Xie family was very wary of his abilities, so if he were in their position, the best course of action would be to kill him. Xie Lingyun had already mentioned that Jousan Koushi was planning to harm them, making him the perfect scapegoat. After killing him and Jousan Koushi, they could blame his death on Jousan Koushi. At that point, even if others had suspicions, it would be useless.

"Damn it, do I have to just sit here and wait to die?" Zhou Chong plopped down in a chair, his eyes filled with madness. If he really had no choice but to die, he would go crazy before dying, at least dragging a few people down with him.

"Wait, I still have a glimmer of hope!" At the critical moment, Zhou Chong's mind flashed with another idea. This plan required a lot of luck, but he needed to find a way to get Xie Lingyun to see him before they dealt with him. If he could suddenly attack and control her, using her as a hostage, he might have a chance to escape.

With this thought, Zhou Chong stood up, walked around the cabin excitedly, and then opened the cabin door. As before, the two burly guards were blocking the door. This time, Zhou Chong put on an angry face and said, "Tell your mistress that I have important matters to discuss with her. If she doesn't come, I won't die in peace!"

Hearing Zhou Chong's request to see the mistress, the two guards exchanged glances. One of them said, "We will convey your request to the mistress, but she is very busy. We don't know if she has time to see you."

"Fine, I believe she will come to see me because she owes me an explanation!" Zhou Chong turned and went back into the cabin, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes to rest. He needed to adjust his body to its best state to have a better chance of controlling Xie Lingyun in the shortest time possible.

Meanwhile, one of the guards on Zhou Chong's door found Xie Lingyun on the deck and repeated Zhou Chong's words to her. When Xie Lingyun heard that Zhou Chong said he wouldn't die in peace, a complex expression appeared on her face. She turned to look at Jousan Koushi's approaching fleet in the distance. After a while, she instructed the guard, "Tell Zhou Chong that I am busy now, but I will see him after I finish my business."

However, just as Xie Lingyun finished speaking, she thought of something else and gently instructed, "Also, Zhou Chong probably hasn't had lunch. Prepare some food and send it to his cabin."

The guard was taken aback by his mistress's order. He looked at the approaching enemy on the distant sea and couldn't understand why she would consider whether Zhou Chong had eaten at such a critical moment. However, the guard didn't dare to question her and immediately agreed, turning to leave.

After giving the guard his instructions, Xie Lingyun looked in the direction of Zhou Chong's cabin for a while. She then sighed and turned around, looking at the dark clouds coming from the northwest and the waves that were half a person's height. Winter was usually a relatively calm season for the sea, but the current weather suggested that a strong wind was coming, which would bring some unpredictable variables to this operation.

As the time since their departure from Qingcun Port increased, Jousan Koushi's courage grew. His informants had already found out that today Xie Lingyun and Zhou Chong were inspecting a small island overseas, and they had indeed boarded the ship one after another. This made Jousan Koushi even more confident, and he couldn't wait to catch up with the ship in front to avenge his previous humiliation.

Because of this, Jousan Koushi continuously urged his ship to speed up, but he didn't notice that several large ships had appeared on both sides and behind his fleet, forming a包围 (surrounding) formation. Unfortunately, Jousan Koushi's men were focused on the ship in front and didn't notice the surrounding anomalies.

To deal with the pursuing Jousan Koushi, Xie Lingyun ordered her ship to speed up slightly but remain just a bit slower than Jousan Koushi's fleet. This would stimulate the enemy to chase even harder. When the dark clouds from the northwest covered the entire sky and the sea became extremely turbulent, Jousan Koushi's fleet was less than a mile behind Xie Lingyun's ship.

The two sides were so close that Xie Lingyun, standing on the deck, could already see Jousan Koushi holding a Japanese sword on the enemy ship. However, Xie Lingyun was not afraid because, at that moment, her pre-arranged fleet had surrounded the enemy from all sides. Jousan Koushi's fleet was like fish in a barrel, with no chance of escape.

In fact, Jousan Koushi had already noticed something was wrong, but it was too late. The sudden appearance of ships around them had blocked their escape routes. The strong wind from behind and the large waves made it impossible to turn around in time.

Realizing he was trapped and had missed the best chance to escape, Jousan Koushi was furious. He beheaded the Japanese lookout on his ship and desperately urged his ship to speed up, hoping to catch up with Xie Lingyun's ship before the encirclement was complete. His plan was the same as Zhou Chong's: to capture Zhou Chong and Xie Lingyun to secure his own survival.

Unfortunately, the cunning Xie Lingyun wouldn't give Jousan Koushi this opportunity. Her lookout quickly signaled the surrounding ships, and the sailors adjusted the sails to reach maximum speed. No matter how hard Jousan Koushi tried, he couldn't catch up with the specially designed sea ship.

"Boom!" The first to collide with Jousan Koushi's ship was a fleet from the west, led by two large ships about ten zhang (33 feet) long. Driven by the sea storm, they crashed into Jousan Koushi's flagship at high speed, creating a large hole in the right side of the ship. A large amount of seawater flooded the cabin, and the ship began to tilt to the right.

Jousan Koushi had brought 160 men, divided among four large ships. His ship was the first to suffer heavy damage. As the other ships tried to come to his aid, ships from other directions also collided with them. In a blink, all four ships were hit from different directions.

In naval battles, collisions were just the first step. As Jousan Koushi's four ships and the Xie family's dozen ships collided, countless ropes with sharp steel hooks at the ends flew from the Xie family's ships, accurately landing on the enemy decks. As the Xie family's sailors pulled, many of the hooks grabbed the enemy's ship sides and masts.

With these ropes, many of the Xie family's sailors began to climb onto Jousan Koushi's ships. In some places where the ships were close, Xie family sailors had already boarded and engaged in fierce combat. The Japanese pirates Jousan Koushi brought were also desperate and refused to surrender, so they quickly rushed forward with wild cries, and a brutal boarding battle began.

"Kill!" Jousan Koushi, holding a sword in both hands, cut a Xie family sailor in half, spraying blood all over him. However, he wiped his face indifferently and raised his sword to kill more people to boost morale. But as a huge wave nearly a zhang (33 feet) high hit the ship, it caused the ship to rock violently, making it difficult for most people to stand. They clung to nearby objects, and then the two sides resumed their fierce battle.

Perhaps stimulated by the bloody scene on the ship, the sea became even more violent, with waves higher than a person one after another. The sailors on the deck, though accustomed to the sea's turbulence, still struggled to stand in such a storm. Many who had the upper hand were accidentally knocked over by the waves and died at the hands of their enemies, making the boarding battle even more brutal. Blood flowed down the ship's sides into the sea, attracting sharks that swam around, devouring the bodies that fell into the water.

Xie Lingyun, watching the brutal scene from a distance, showed a hint of pity in her eyes. The storm was so strong that some waves even hit the deck, wetting the hem of her skirt.

Although the storm was fierce and Jousan Koushi was fighting desperately, the numerical advantage meant he was destined to fall into Xie Lingyun's hands. Moreover, she remembered Zhou Chong's request to see her. Sighing, Xie Lingyun turned and went to Zhou Chong's cabin door, preparing to see him for the last time. However, she didn't know that this meeting would trigger a series of events beyond her control and change the fates of both her and Zhou Chong. (To be continued)