Chapter 364: Tiger Cang Banner

Chapter 364: Tiger-Cang Banner

It wasn’t that Su Mo was looking for trouble.

When encountering pirates on the open sea, most people would naturally keep their distance.

Even the less cautious wouldn’t go out of their way to approach them.

But Su Mo had his own reasons.

His journey required crossing the South Sea and making stops along the way.

He wanted to get a better read on the vast, unpredictable sea.

The second reason was his ambition—to expand the Ziyang Escort Agency’s business.

The Eastern Wastelands model had already worked.

His ambitions had ballooned.

He wondered if he could expand the Escort Agency’s operations across all corners of the land.

If he did, who’d dare call themselves #1 if Ziyang Escort claimed to be second to none?

With such plans in mind, he’d have to deal with these pirates eventually.

And even without that goal, could he really sail the South Sea without running into pirates?

If he left the South Sea unscathed, he’d feel like he was slacking on his troublemaker rep.

Since they’d already run into pirates before even reaching deeper waters, he had to check them out—to see what these sea bandits were all about.

The crew froze at Su Mo’s words.

After a beat, they snapped to: “Understood!”

Then they rushed to pass the word.

With this new development, giving Zhen Xiaoxiao her acupuncture would have to wait.

One by one, the group stepped out from the cabin. Even Zhen Xiaoxiao edged her way onto the deck, breathing in the salty ocean breeze.

Crowding the bow, they looked toward the distant horizon.

A ship was sailing there.

Someone handed Su Mo a telescope, which he raised to his eye.

Now he saw how Song Yuanlong and the others had pegged them as pirates.

The ship flew a flag—no Jolly Roger.

Instead, the banner bore the emblem of a fierce beast.

Its hull was battered and salt-stained—clearly a veteran of the sea.

There were no fishing nets or catches on the deck, nor many people aboard, so it didn’t resemble a ship of fishermen earning a living at sea, nor did it resemble a passenger vessel.

Ruling these out, there weren’t many possibilities left.

Add to that the beast’s snarling appearance on the flag, as if poised to attack.

This all but confirmed that the other party was no simple crew.

They were almost certainly pirates operating at sea.

With Song Yuanlong at the helm, Su Mo’s large vessel closed in on the other ship.

From a distance, details were unclear, but up close, the ship clearly showed signs of countless battles.

Hacked and slashed marks covered its surface.

Bloodstains remained, never fully washed away, having stained the wood grain over time, forming rust-colored stains.

Yet when he saw this, Su Mo frowned:

"Why is there no one here?"

The ship wasn’t particularly large—probably because bulky ships lacked maneuverability at sea.

While they might look imposing, against martial experts, they’d be sitting ducks.

The time it would take to turn around would be more than enough for enemies to cut them down a dozen times over.

So standing where he was, Su Mo could survey the whole deck with ease.

But even after watching this long, not a soul had appeared.

This made no sense.

"Could it be… a trick?"

Wei Ziyi was equally puzzled: "Pretending the ship's deserted, waiting for us to board before jumping us and killing us all?"

"..."

Su Mo thought this guess was way off base.

Judging by Song Yuanlong and the others’ reactions, ordinary ships would steer clear of such pirate vessels—why would they willingly approach?

After a moment’s thought, Su Mo asked Fu Hanyuan to fetch the two disciples of Canglan Divine Blade.

The two, suddenly exposed to daylight, drew deep breaths.

Yet gazing at the familiar endless waves, they couldn’t help but feel a wave of frustration.

However, when they spotted the telescope in Su Mo’s hand, their expressions changed instantly:

"This… you have a telescope?"

"...Young Hero, you’ve got a good eye."

Su Mo smiled. "Once, a visitor from the South Sea befriended me in the Eastern Wastes.

"He gave me this as a gift."

"This guy's probably out to kill you."

The young man frowned deeply. "The Thousand-Mile Eye is contraband in the South Sea. The three big players—the Dragon King’s Court, Guixu Island, and the South Sea Alliance—won’t let regular folks get their hands on this. If their men catch you with it, these factions will hunt you down and kill you on the spot."

Su Mo nodded. "Yeah, that checks out. In that case, mind taking a look for me, Young Hero? What’s up with that ship over there?"

"Ship?"

The guy blinked—he’d just spotted the ship.

One look, and his brow twitched. "Pirates?"

He and his senior sister had been sailing the South Sea way longer than Song Yuanlong, so they knew their stuff. Pirates or honest sailors—they could spot the difference in a heartbeat.

After a beat, he grabbed the scope from Su Mo and peered through it.

His face went even paler when he saw it:

"It’s the Tiger Cang Banner!"

"Tiger Cang Banner?"

His senior sister stiffened.

"You’re not mistaken?"

"The Four Sea Lords… no way I’m wrong."

The young man passed the scope to the woman. "Senior Sister, your turn."

Wordless, she snatched the scope and zeroed in on the ship’s flag. A second later, her face fell.

"No doubt—it’s the Tiger Cang Banner… What the hell?"

Wei Ziyi and the rest were lost, and even Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun frowned.

"Tiger Cang Banner… After a year of yapping, you’ve still got secrets, huh?"

The siblings went white.

Su Mo had kept them locked up for a year—totally under his thumb.

He had grilled them nonstop about the South Sea.

For one, they had no clue what Su Mo was really after.

And after being caged like animals, of course they were pissed.

They knew Su Mo was South Sea–bound, so they stuck to the truth—but “forgetting” a few things? That was fair game.

They just made sure they weren’t lying.

But skimming over the important bits?

Who could prove it?

But unexpectedly, Escort Chief Su waved his hand and decided to bring them along as well.

Now, seeing the Tiger Cang Banner only made it clearer that they had been hiding something.

For a moment, the siblings turned pale.

The woman managed to speak:

"This… Please understand, Chief Escort. How could we cover twenty years in one meeting?

We've told you everything we know—there's nothing more we could possibly say. But there are just some things we can't remember unless we witnessed them ourselves. We never meant to hide anything.

In the end, it was simply a matter of time. We ask for your understanding."

"Hmm."

Su Mo nodded: "That makes sense. I didn't think this through properly."

At his words, the siblings paled again.

Every time he spoke so gently, what followed was never good.

They still remembered how, a year ago, Su Mo had used the same calm tone to order them to kill themselves...

Sure enough, the next moment, Su Mo said with a smile:

"Since that’s the case, why don’t the two of you stay aboard my humble vessel for a while longer?

I’d like to take my time and pick your brains about everything that happened in the South Sea."

"...How long exactly?"

The two asked cautiously.

"A year or two would fly by. Ten or eight years wouldn’t be too long.

It all depends on how cooperative you both are."

Su Mo chuckled. "Alright then, let’s start with the Tiger Cang Banner. What is it?"

"..."

The two exchanged glances, helpless, and finally sighed before explaining:

The Tiger Cang Banner is a fleet led by a pirate king known as the King of the Seas.

His flagship commands four divisions: the Tiger Cang Banner, the Lion-Meng Banner, the Snake Ghost Banner, and the Dragon Blood Banner.

Each division has its own fleet—anywhere from dozens to over a hundred ships.

They terrorize the South Sea, and even the three major powers there sometimes have to back down. Their infamy is boundless.

However… the King of the Seas normally stays deep within the South Sea.

This location is only about ten days’ journey from Sunset City. We’re barely inside South Sea waters.

There's no way we should have encountered them here.

"That's right..."

The woman nodded in agreement and added:

"And since this ship belongs to the Four Divisions of the Imperial Sea, under the Tiger Cang Banner, where are the other ships?

"Why are they the only ones here?"

Su Mo was at a loss for words. He'd been the one interrogating them, and now the tables had turned.

Still, from their description of the Imperial Sea King Ship, this crew’s power and martial arts were no joke.

For a force that could make the Dragon King’s Palace, Guixu Island, and South Sea Alliance back down occasionally, they were truly formidable.

As he mulled it over, his curiosity about the ship grew even stronger.

By then, the two ships were nearly side by side.

Song Yuanlong immediately ordered preparations in case there were stowaways onboard.

But it turned out to be a wasted effort.

Even when the two ships gently bumped together, the other vessel remained dead silent—utterly devoid of movement.

Su Mo said after a pause, "Leader Wei, Fu Hanyuan, come with me. The rest stay behind."

The crew obeyed without hesitation. Su Mo took Yang Xiaoyun’s hand and leapt effortlessly onto the deck.

As soon as they landed, Yang Xiaoyun frowned.

"The stench of blood is overwhelming."

Su Mo sighed. "Figures."

No sooner had he spoken than Wei Ziyi and Fu Hanyuan arrived too.

Both battle-hardened, they knew what was up the moment they smelled blood.

Her eyebrows shot up.

"The Four Divisions were supposed to be tough. Did someone wipe them all out?"

"Stay sharp. Check it out first."

Without another word, the group began searching the ship.

In truth, little searching was needed. As soon as they opened the cabin doors, they saw mounds of corpses stacked inside.

These had to be the ship’s crew.

But who’d killed them?

The killer had not only slaughtered them all but also piled their bodies into the cabins, possibly even cleaned the deck afterward.

Now, blood still oozed across the floor, not yet dry—meaning it happened recently.

Su Mo casually turned over a corpse and found that it bore few wounds.

The only fatal one was a sword wound to the heart.

He exchanged a glance with Yang Xiaoyun, both feeling something was amiss.

After a moment's hesitation, he turned over several more corpses and discovered that each had a fatal wound to the heart.

These people had all been killed with a single, skillful sword strike.

However, there were too many bodies for Su Mo and his companions to examine thoroughly.

Deciding to set them aside for now, they began to explore the ship.

They searched each hold in turn, finding that while the ship was filled with corpses, it was not devoid of other items.

The storerooms still contained food and water, and the ship’s valuables had not been looted.

Though not abundant, there were several chests of silver.

Not fully filled, they were arranged in layers, looking impressive but actually containing little.

Even so, a rough estimate suggested there were several hundred to a thousand taels.

"From this, it seems the person who killed on this ship wasn’t after the money," Xiaoyun observed, looking at the silver.

Su Mo thought for a moment and nodded slightly.

Looking below, they saw another group of people at the bottom of the ship.

They were all women without exception,

wearing shackles on their wrists and necks,

locked away in the ship's lowest hold.

Their clothes were tattered rags, barely covering their bodies.

Yang Xiaoyun's face clouded over.

However, to Su Mo's surprise, the killer hadn't spared even them.

"Not for money or justice...

what was this killer's motive?"

After making a full circuit of the ship, the two returned to the deck and heard Wei Ziyi call out:

"Demon Su, come take a look over here. I've found something."

Su Mo's lips twitched.

As Donghuang's top martial arts master, being called "Demon Su" really wasn't appropriate.

Hailed throughout the martial world for his peerless honor, yet in Wei Ziyi's mouth, he might as well have been some demonic overlord.

He shook his head—no point arguing with her.

He led Yang Xiaoyun toward her side.

Upon opening the door, the room appeared to be a study.

Behind the desk sat a corpse, also pierced through the heart—its death completely unremarkable.

“This person was seated here, which suggests a status far from ordinary. Yet the killer still struck them down with a single sword stroke, demonstrating their supreme martial arts.”

Wei Ziyi glanced at Su Mo: “Old Demon Su, you're a swordmaster. Have you ever seen such sword techniques before?”

Su Mo shook his head:

“Their sword style is entirely different from those of the Eastern Wasteland.

There’s no hint of affectation in their technique.

Every strike serves only to kill…

If you’re asking if I’ve seen this before, then yes—I have.”

“Oh?”

Wei Ziyi froze momentarily, and even Yang Xiaoyun looked shocked:

“When did you see it?”

“…At Profound Theory Valley.”

Su Mo said, “When I killed the three orders of the Youquan Cult, wasn’t my swordplay equally lethal?”

“So it was you who killed all these people!”

Wei Ziyi immediately nodded. “Truly living up to your name as Old Demon Su—wherever you go, rivers of blood flow.”

“…Get lost.”

Su Mo could no longer hold back.

“Hahaha.”

Wei Ziyi couldn’t help laughing. “You walked right into that one. Since you put it that way, I just ran with it.”

As she spoke, her expression darkened again:

“These people certainly couldn’t have been killed by you. Though you, Old Demon Su, may be wicked in all ways, you wouldn’t kill those who never crossed you.

Besides, this killer ignored everything in the study.”

She looked around—the study had few furnishings, but what was there was valuable. The killer took nothing.

Yang Xiaoyun also nodded: “In the lower cabins, the Tiger Cang Banner’s abducted women were all killed by this same hand. Now *this* is someone who leaves rivers of blood in their wake.”

Not for wealth, not for justice… If it's hatred…

"If they killed Tiger Cang Banner's men, that’s revenge enough—why spill more blood?"

Wei Ziyi looked confused.

But Su Mo stared at the bloodstains on the ground and said solemnly:

"Notice how... there’s way too much blood."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded immediately.

Wei Ziyi also nodded.

They’d all killed before—with blades, fists, or bare hands—blood came with the territory.

But this killer only struck the heart—one clean hit.

How’d they lose so much blood?

Like half their blood poured out.

But even after asking, nobody had an answer.

Just as they were thinking, Fu Hanyuan’s rushed footsteps sounded outside the door:

"Boss Su, Deputy Yang, Leader Wei..."

He stepped forward and handed over something:

"Found this in a cabin—a corpse was gripping it tight. Looks like a journal, handwritten by one of Tiger Cang Banner’s crew."

Su Mo blinked.

"Who keeps a diary?"

He took it and flipped it open.

The first page explained.

"Starting today, I sail alone, lost at sea."

"So I don’t disappear without a word, I’ll leave this behind—to record my life."

"If I die and this survives me, let it show that once lived a man named Teng Qiubing!"

Teng Qiubing...

Su Mo mulled it over, then kept reading.

But the more he read, the deeper his frown.

Teng Qiubing was nobody special—just another pirate’s life story.

The journal was full of cruelty—torture, violence,

or him wondering how he’d die—and if it’d hurt.

Then, flipping pages, Su Mo finally spotted something interesting.

The notes previously mentioned that the Tiger Cang Banner had received orders from the Sea King’s royal vessel, from which a secret command had once been issued.

It directed all members of the Tiger Cang Banner to head to a specific spot.

At this point, the notes read:

*"The banner leader has given the order—form up the battle fleet!"*

*I peeked from the deck and saw a grand ship surrounded by our fleet.*

*This ship's opulence was like nothing I'd ever seen.*

*Not even the Royal Ship’s grandeur came close.*

*It had to be that legendary vessel which, in recent years, had sailed from the Eastern Wastes into the South Sea.*

*The banner leader gave the command—“All hands, attack that ship!”*