Chapter 365: Yin and Yang Clash

**Chapter 365: Yin-Yang Conflict**

Under the Imperial Sea King's Ship’s command are the Four Imperial Sea Divisions.

The Tiger Cang Banner received a secret order to locate the "great ship."

And they actually found it.

This journal contains an eyewitness account from a pirate aboard one of the Tiger Cang Banner’s pirate ships.

When Su Mo read, “The banner leader issued the command, and all attacked the ship!” he impatiently turned the page.

However… the next page was completely blank.

“Huh? Did it just stop?”

Su Mo was stunned, then enraged. “Even a journal ends abruptly like this?”

Yang Xiaoyun, Wei Ziyi, and Fu Hanyuan all looked at Su Mo in confusion.

He flipped further through the scroll and found more disjointed notes, but they didn’t continue the story.

“There’s a person lying on the sea like a dead body.”

“The crew reported it to the captain, who said, ‘Ignore it, and the oddity will pass,’ and paid no attention.”

After those two lines, the next page read:

“Night. Screams broke out. Men shouted that a ‘water ghost’ had boarded.”

“Screams came from outside. I didn’t dare look, but the ship grew unnaturally cold tonight.”

“I still saw him—his clothes dripping seawater. It was the same floating corpse we saw during the day.”

“He’s coming…”

By the end, the handwriting had dissolved into frantic scribbles, clearly written in a state of extreme panic.

Yet even in such a life-or-death moment, he was still writing in his journal…

Was he that obsessed?

Su Mo held the scroll, frowning deeply.

Then he handed it to Yang Xiaoyun and the rest to read.

After everyone had gone through it, Yang Xiaoyun was the first to speak:

“Based on the later notes, the murderer was probably the same person they saw floating in the sea that day.

“He clearly wasn’t a corpse.

“As for calling him a ‘water ghost,’ people likely panicked after seeing someone who appeared dead in the sea by day, only to suddenly board the ship at night.

“That led to superstitious panic.”

“Yang Xiaoyun’s got a point,” Wei Ziyi nodded. “A dead man floating in the sea by day, then boarding the ship at night to kill—anyone’s mind would go there. But… why would he?”

Why just three words, yet they raise so many questions?

First, why was this person lying in the sea?

Like some drowned corpse?

Second, the ship’s captain clearly wanted nothing to do with this person, and they had already passed each other by.

Then out of nowhere, this guy boards the ship at night and slaughters everyone.

Why?

If it was anger over them leaving him to die…

But this person had the ability to float in the sea without dying.

And he could sneak onto the ship and kill everyone.

Clearly, he wasn’t in any real danger.

So the whole “they left him to die” excuse doesn’t hold water.

The state of the ship makes that clear too.

This person wasn’t after money, justice, or revenge.

Su Mo’s face twisted in thought:

“Wait—does this guy just kill anyone he meets?”

The thought was chilling.

Yang Xiaoyun and the other two froze, their brows knitting in confusion.

If that were true, what kind of monster were they dealing with?

Su Mo just waved a hand dismissively:

“We don’t have enough to go on. Overthinking it won’t help.

Old Fu, get a team on that ship to handle the bodies and comb it for clues.”

“Yes.”

Fu Hanyuan gave a nod and left.

Su Mo leafed through the notebook again, front to back, searching desperately for some hidden meaning in the words.

But in the end, he came up empty.

Watching Su Mo, Yang Xiaoyun guessed what was on his mind:

“You’re thinking about what went down after Tiger Cang Banner attacked the big ship?”

Su Mo nodded:

“The notebook doesn’t say what happened to the big ship or Tiger Cang Banner.

The notes call the ship’s leader ‘captain,’ not ‘banner master.’”

"Clearly, this ship is just one vessel in the fleet."

"Given that Tiger Cang Banner commands dozens, if not hundreds, of pirate ships, capable of forming battle formations at sea,"

"Why is this the only ship left? Where are the others?"

"What the hell happened out there that day?"

"Why did this person record so many events yet remain completely silent about that day’s incident?"

Su Mo's words left everyone speechless.

In the end, they shook their heads—these weren’t questions they could answer right away, so it was best to set them aside for now.

The group began searching the room.

Since this was the ship’s study, it was definitely worth searching.

Unfortunately, apart from finding a hidden stash belonging to the ship’s captain and some account books in a secret compartment, they came up empty.

Later, Fu Hanyuan and his crew boarded to haul all the corpses onto the deck.

Not only the pirates of Tiger Cang Banner but also the bodies of the women from the lowest deck were brought up.

All told, there were 172 bodies.

They also dug up 1,300 taels of silver and a stash of weapons from the storeroom.

After moving everything back to their own ship, they had the crew scour the ship one last time to ensure nothing was missed before finally torching the ship.

Thick smoke billowed over the sea as Su Mo held the notebook, frowning slightly.

He’d figured if they ran into pirates, they might get a chance to make contact. Instead, they inexplicably found a damn ghost ship.

Just entering the South Sea, they’d already heard of some freak who played dead in the water, then snuck aboard at night to kill.

What kind of messed-up shit was this?

However, there was no trace of that person on the ship.

Probably slithered back into the water after the slaughter.

Who the hell wants to soak in seawater all day?

Su Mo lightly shook his head and stopped dwelling on it, turning instead to help Little Situ perform acupuncture on Zhen Xiaoxiao.

With Su Mo’s assistance, Little Situ’s needles finally started working.

As the needles channeled energy through her, they continuously wore down the internal force within Zhen Xiaoxiao’s body.

By the end of the session, even with Su Mo’s support, Little Situ was gasping for breath, her face flushed.

Even Zhen Xiaoxiao was drenched in sweat.

She was completely spent.

Getting needled like this, draining her internal energy, wasn’t comfortable for Zhen Xiaoxiao.

But she knew it was the only way to survive.

So no matter how uncomfortable it was, she toughed it out.

After it ended, she asked Su Mo:

"Boss, tonight... can I have an extra leg of beef?"

Su Mo heaved a big sigh and said very seriously:

"Go to sleep, go to sleep..."

"After I wake up, I'll get a leg of beef to eat?"

Zhen Xiaoxiao's small eyes lit up with excitement.

"No, once you're asleep, you can dream about anything."

"???"

The sparkle in Zhen Xiaoxiao's eyes instantly turned into question marks.

Little Situ couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Eldest Brother Su, why are you teasing her?"

"At a time like this, she's still thinking about food. I'm being nice as it is."

Su Mo sighed and placed his hand on Little Situ's back to steady her breathing.

Little Situ's face flushed slightly as she said softly:

"I'm fine. Eldest Brother Su should save your energy—you still need to give energy to Sister Wei tonight.

"Even though you're strong internally, using it up all the time will eventually run you down.

"You and Sister Xiaoyun have been married for so long, yet..."

At this point, she suddenly seemed to realize she had said too much and quickly shut her mouth.

Su Mo looked surprised: "What?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

Little Situ shook her head hard. "Eldest Brother Su, I didn't say anything."

"??"

Su Mo felt that her expression clearly meant something more.

Just as he was considering how to ask more, he heard Little Situ say:

"Eldest Brother Su, I'm fine now. Could you ask the four girls from the cardinal directions to come get me? I'll just rest in my room."

"Mm, alright."

Su Mo nodded and called over the four girls.

As he watched the four girls help Little Situ away, Su Mo felt a little uneasy.

He kept thinking that Little Situ had been trying to say something earlier.

He didn't know that at that very moment, Little Situ, sitting in her palanquin, also breathed a big sigh of relief:

"That was close—I almost let it slip."

Dong Qing and the other girls turned around to look at Little Situ.

Little Situ gave an awkward smile:

"Keep hold of that prescription I wrote today. When we next make port, we’ll find a pharmacy and get some medicine for Brother Su."

"We can blend it into his regular meals—he probably won’t even notice."

"It’s been a year since their marriage and still no pregnancy. That’s concerning."

Bei Xuan glanced at Little Situ and muttered:

"My lady, is all this really necessary?"

"Besides, Chief Escort Su shouldn’t avoid seeing a doctor about such matters."

"Ah…"

Little Situ thought for a moment and said:

"He’s Donghuang's Top Martial Artist, with his reputation. Even if he has some reservations, it’s only natural."

"Sister Xiaoyun is devoted to him, so of course she wouldn’t bring it up either."

"These past few days, I’ve found opportunities to examine Sister Xiaoyun carefully and can confirm she’s perfectly healthy."

"If that’s the case, then the issue must be with Brother Su."

"Let’s handle this quietly, without letting Brother Su find out—so he doesn’t feel embarrassed."

The four girls—Dong Qing, Bei Xuan, and their companions—exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly.

...

...

Naturally, Su Mo had no idea what Little Situ was thinking.

Otherwise, he would have protested loudly.

The reason they hadn’t conceived yet was simply because they weren’t trying—not due to any medical issue on his part.

But Little Situ, worried about embarrassing him, naturally wouldn’t mention it directly.

Since Su Mo didn’t know her thoughts, he had no way to explain.

He did sense she was preoccupied, but after some thought and failing to guess why, he simply let it go.

That day remained otherwise uneventful, aside from encountering a ship carrying corpses.

That evening, after dinner, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun arrived at Wei Ziyi’s room.

Wei Ziyi opened the door, ushered them in, and shut it behind them.

"Honestly, another day’s wait wouldn’t have mattered."

Wei Ziyi smiled and said, "Look, I'm totally fine now."

As she spoke, she poured tea for the two of them:

"You guys put in so much effort for me daily. I don’t even know how to repay you."

"Cut the crap."

Su Mo took a sip of tea and moved behind her:

"Let’s get this energy transfer done quick. We’ve still gotta get some sleep."

"Continuing what was left unfinished during the day?"

Wei Ziyi asked.

"Not your concern."

Su Mo’s lip twitched. Yang Xiaoyun’s face turned beet red.

Wei Ziyi giggled, about to say something else, when suddenly a wave of icy energy burst from her.

Yang Xiaoyun, standing close by, felt half her body go numb with cold.

"And you said one more day wouldn’t hurt… Having another flare-up, huh?"

Su Mo frowned and didn’t waste another word. He placed his palm on her back and fed her Pure Yang Energy to suppress the Yin cold.

Instantly, the icy aura weakened slightly but began battling against the Pure Yang Energy Su Mo had transmitted into her.

With her internal Yin and Yang thrown out of balance, Wei Ziyi’s face turned pale, her whole body trembling from the cold, yet sweat beaded on her forehead and temples.

For a moment, she couldn’t tell if she was freezing or burning up.

At first, Su Mo remained calm, but soon his brows furrowed:

"This flare-up’s worse than before."

In the past, the imbalance—the eruption of cold and heat—would dissipate almost instantly once Su Mo infused his Pure Yang Energy.

But this time was different.

The cold energy didn’t just resist Su Mo’s Pure Yang Energy; with its support, the existing Yang energy in Wei Ziyi’s body surged and tried to push back against the Yin cold.

This threw the two forces into even wilder conflict.

As Yang energy flared, Yin energy fought back harder.

Wei Ziyi’s face twisted in agony.

Her skin burned fiercely, tendrils of smoke curling off her clothes.

Yang Xiaoyun moved in, checking her over, and her face fell:

"It’s bad—half her body’s burning up. The heat’s about to singe her clothes.

"The other side’s nearly frozen stiff."

"Husband... if this continues, I fear her entire body might combust."

The balance of Yin and Yang energies forms the foundation of the human body—any slight imbalance could lead to disaster.

Su Mo's expression turned grave as he spoke in a low voice:

"Leader Wei… pardon my intrusion."

Wei Ziyi was already unable to speak at this point, her body racked by scorching flames on one side and freezing ice on the other.

She could only let Su Mo act.

As Su Mo circulated his inner energy, he lifted Wei Ziyi straight from her chair.

With a sudden flick of his other hand, fabric tore with a sharp rip.

Wei Ziyi’s outer garments burst open, leaving only her undergarments.

Without hesitation, Su Mo placed her on the bed in a cross-legged position while he half-sat at the bedside, simultaneously infusing Pure Yang Energy into her and instructing Yang Xiaoyun:

"Wife, summon Little Situ Taoist.

"And ensure no one enters this room."

Su Mo was always decisive.

If Wei Ziyi’s clothes were truly set ablaze by the Yang energy, it would inevitably cause harm—from mild burns to a heart meridian backlash.

So without hesitation, he tore open her outer robes, allowing the conflicting Yin and Yang energies an outlet.

Though the Third Palace Master’s words that day sounded unreasonable, they weren’t entirely without merit.

When Yin and Yang collide, whether it be Yin or Yang, once they reach the point of true dispersion, they can no longer be tightly contained as before.

Otherwise, if the heart meridian were damaged, Wei Ziyi would perish.

Rather than regretting hesitation later, it was better to act decisively now.

Yang Xiaoyun acted instantly upon hearing Su Mo’s words. She stood immediately, closed the door behind her, and went to find Little Situ Taoist.

Meanwhile, the scene between Su Mo and Wei Ziyi was far from romantic.

Instead, it was a brutal battle—primarily between Su Mo and the warring Yin and Yang energies within Wei Ziyi’s body.

For the moment, Su Mo held back from infusing more Pure Yang Energy. Past experiences had taught him that the Yang energy craved dominance, attempting to use his Pure Yang Energy to overwhelm the Yin in this battle.

Yet the Yin energy, already formidable, sought to snuff out the Yang entirely.

Allowing either side to prevail unchecked would lead to disaster.

Su Mo’s task was to bolster the Yang flame when it neared extinction, preventing the Yin from extinguishing it completely.

But when the Yang surged, threatening to overwhelm the Yin, he immediately withdrew—lest the clash rebound upon her.

The situation was akin to walking a tightrope over a sheer cliff—any misstep could endanger Wei Ziyi’s life.

How could they risk even a moment’s carelessness?

No distractions could be allowed.

After waiting a while longer, footsteps finally echoed from outside the door.

Yang Xiaoyun was the first to push open the door and enter, piggybacking Little Situ on her back.

She couldn’t wait for the four directions—East, South, West, and North—to carry her over. With Wei Ziyi’s life hanging by a thread, speed was critical.

Along the way, Yang Xiaoyun had explained the situation.

So the moment she arrived, Little Situ acted without hesitation, plunging two silver needles into Wei Ziyi’s chest.

“Eldest Brother Su, I’ve stabilized her heart meridian.

If the struggle between Yin and Yang doesn’t reach a conclusion—if neither yields—it will be extremely difficult to stop.

I’ll shield her heart meridian. Just let go and let these two forces war it out properly.”

“Got it.”

With Little Situ’s assurance, Su Mo no longer hesitated and fed Pure Yang Energy into Wei Ziyi.

In an instant, Wei Ziyi’s body turned into a battleground.

Yin and Yang energies warred relentlessly.

Throughout the process, Su Mo steadily replenished Wei Ziyi’s Pure Yang Energy to prevent the Yang energy from being completely overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Little Situ used silver needles to shield Wei Ziyi’s meridians, ensuring they wouldn’t rupture from the violent conflict between the two energies.

Unable to assist directly, Yang Xiaoyun stood guard outside the door, barring anyone from entering.

After a solid hour, the Yin and Yang energies finally burned themselves out.

Gradually, they subsided.

Only then could Su Mo, as before, channel his internal energy into Wei Ziyi’s body, bringing an end to the struggle.

Wei Ziyi, now completely spent, slumped bonelessly into Su Mo’s arms as he withdrew his hand.

Dazed, she blacked out.

Su Mo laid her down gently and turned to Little Situ:

“What made the clash between Yin and Yang so fierce this time?”