Chapter 366: Living Pirates

**Chapter 366: The Surviving Pirate**

Over the past year, Wei Ziyi's imbalance of Yin and Yang energies hadn't completely stopped occurring.

Otherwise, Hua Qianyu wouldn't have noticed it.

However, these flare-ups, though painful, would pass quickly after a short while.

Over time, everyone grew used to them.

Although they knew it was dangerous, they'd never seen it at its worst. Wei Ziyi herself remained nonchalant, always cheerful and smiling when around Su Mo and the others, as if nothing were wrong.

This inadvertently led Su Mo and the others to underestimate the danger.

Today's episode had been life-threatening.

One wrong move, and Wei Ziyi might not have survived.

Little Situ frowned deeply:

"When I took her pulse earlier today, I already noticed that the Yin-Yang energy fluctuations had grown increasingly erratic.

That’s why I said Eldest Brother Su must channel Pure Yang Energy into her tonight.

But I still underestimated it.

Yin and Yang energies are the foundation of life—if they become disordered, it's life-threatening.

In the past, the signs weren’t apparent partly because Sister Wei hadn’t practiced the Cosmic YinYang Mill Disc over the past year,

and partly because she rarely used her martial arts or channeled energy.

That’s how she managed to barely maintain balance.

Now that this state has emerged, we must be extra careful from here on.

The interval for Eldest Brother Su to channel energy into her must also be shortened—from seven days to four.

Hmm, I’ll prepare a new herbal formula later to see if it can help."

"We appreciate your help, Little Situ," Su Mo replied.

He frowned slightly, looking over at Wei Ziyi, whose eyes remained tightly shut.

His gaze dropped slightly, and he caught sight of her purple undergarments. He hesitated briefly before bending down to pull the blanket up and cover her properly.

He noticed her eyes moving slightly beneath her eyelids—she was awake.

But given the circumstances—though necessitated by urgency—she must have felt too embarrassed to face it, so she pretended to still be asleep.

Su Mo didn’t call her out on it. Instead, he called in Yang Xiaoyun to carry Little Situ, and the three of them left the room together.

The four attendants known as East, South, West, and North had already been waiting outside. After taking charge of Little Situ, they returned to their quarters first.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun walked side by side, frowning slightly.

Yang Xiaoyun said quietly:

"Ziyi’s getting worse. If this continues, I’m truly worried she’ll come to harm."

Su Mo also nodded.

"Getting to the Qi family quickly should be our priority."

By now, they had no other options. The Pure Yang Energy Su Mo had been transferring into Wei Ziyi's body was becoming increasingly ineffective—its effects lasted shorter each time.

If this continued, there would come a point when even Su Mo's Pure Yang Energy could no longer protect Wei Ziyi.

What then?

As pressing as this was, there wasn't much they could do.

The ship moved slowly across the sea; they couldn’t magically sprout wings and arrive at the Qi family overnight.

The next morning, Wei Ziyi was acting like her usual self, strolling around the ship, looking here and there.

It was as though the events of the previous night had never happened.

Things settled back into routine.

For several days in a row, aside from transferring Pure Yang Energy to Wei Ziyi at night, nothing especially eventful happened.

One day, Su Mo was fishing again—there were simply too few recreational activities on the ship.

Yang Xiaoyun refused to indulge in daytime mischief with him, so fishing was pretty much his only way to kill time.

As a result, fish became what they ate most days.

Even Baihu, the white tiger, was getting fed up with fish and occasionally got fishbones stuck in its tongue.

Then it would stick out its huge tongue, demanding Su Mo find the bone.

Su Mo couldn't even bother to complain.

For a cat, getting fishbones stuck was flat-out embarrassing—some tiger it was!

And when that big tongue unfurled, it was covered in little bumps.

Trying to find a fishbone among all those tiny ridges...

Su Mo found himself missing the spot-the-difference games he used to play before crossing over into this world.

Those were far easier than this.

Meanwhile, Wei Ziyi, having nothing better to do, came over to chat with Su Mo.

They spent the entire morning arguing about the best way to cook the fish to make it tastier.

All of a sudden, Wei Ziyi pointed at the water:

"Look, is that a person floating over there?"

"Hmm?"

Su Mo's pulse quickened, and he snapped his head around to look.

On the water's surface, there was indeed a pale, floating object. He strained his eyes and nodded slightly:

"Tiger Girl, you've got sharp eyes. It really is a person."

As these words were spoken, the two shared a look.

They both recalled the incident with the Tiger Cang Banner's pirate ship from a few days ago.

Wei Ziyi immediately stood up. "I'll investigate."

"Stay put."

Su Mo scowled at her. He now suspected that Wei Ziyi had used *qinggong* and inner energy when boarding the ship earlier in the week, which worsened the conflict between her Yin and Yang energies.

He certainly didn’t want her rushing off recklessly now.

Handing his fishing rod to Wei Ziyi without a word, he leapt from the ship’s rail in one swift motion.

Mid-air, he tucked one hand behind his back, pushed off thin air several times with his feet, and reached the figure instantly.

Landing, he grabbed the body with one hand,

then lightly tapped the water’s surface again before springing back onto the boat.

Wei Ziyi stood ready, but Su Mo unceremoniously dropped the corpse onto the deck:

"Just a corpse."

"??"

Wei Ziyi looked down:

"If it's dead, why bring it back? Let it be."

"This one died recently."

Su Mo turned the body over. The throat was slit, and there were several wounds across the torso—

though none of them were fatal.

Looking closer, he saw the chest had caved in, likely from a martial arts strike.

One arm was shattered, clearly from a heavy, blunt impact.

Wei Ziyi caught on to Su Mo’s thinking.

A fresh corpse drifting here meant something must have happened nearby.

Judging by the wind direction and current today, the incident couldn't be far ahead—right along their path.

"Too bad it's not yesterday's man," she said, disappointed.

"That guy's skills are unpredictable, and his killing motives are unclear."

"Better not run into him. It'd just mean more trouble."

Su Mo couldn’t understand the reason behind that person’s killings.

And as they sailed on, no extra ships appeared along the way. It was as if that figure had emerged from nowhere—appearing only briefly to slaughter everyone under Tiger Cang Banner before vanishing into the open ocean.

Wei Ziyi didn’t argue further with Su Mo about it and instead went straight to Song Yuanlong, telling him to keep his guard up.

They couldn’t risk being blindsided when the moment arrived.

But as the ship continued forward, it became impossible to miss.

Occasionally, they’d see bodies floating in the water.

One or two might be ignored, but a dozen or so were hard to ignore.

Not long after, the lookout on the watchtower hurriedly climbed down.

“There are ships ahead—fighting!”

By then, Su Mo and the others had already gathered at the bow.

Hearing this, Su Mo immediately took the telescope from the lookout and raised it to his eyes. Sure enough, two ships were locked side by side, clashing fiercely.

Su Mo studied both vessels.

One was clearly a cargo ship, fighting desperately to repel the attackers.

The attacking vessel, however, was a warship, battle-scarred from countless skirmishes.

Compared to their target, their own ship wasn’t large—but it was far nimbler in sea battles.

Looking closer at the small ship’s flag, he saw a vicious sea snake depicted on it—fangs bared and jaws agape.

“This time, we’ve run into real, live pirates,” Su Mo remarked, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

And not just alive—they were in the middle of their dirty work.

At that very moment, the pirates seemed to spot Su Mo’s ship too.

Right away, two dinghies broke off and headed straight toward them.

Su Mo blinked in surprise, then burst out laughing.

He held back an eager Yang Xiaoyun and the others for now, then said to Wei Ziyi:

“Stay out of it later.”

“…”

Wei Ziyi knew where she stood. She nodded quietly, letting out a wistful sigh.

“I feel like dead weight now.”

“Relax,” Su Mo said, patting her shoulder. “You were never exactly a powerhouse—you’d get your butt kicked by just about anyone.”

"..."

Wei Ziyi’s teeth clenched in fury. "I’m a top disciple of the Cold Moon Palace! The only ones I couldn’t beat *were* martial arts masters! As for these riffraff… they’re beneath me."

Su Mo didn’t bother arguing further.

Partly to avoid provoking her, and partly because the two ships were already upon them.

Several men stood aboard, led by a man in a blue robe—anything but refined. His hem was haphazardly tucked into his waistband, sleeves rolled up to reveal muscular, weather-beaten arms. In one hand he held a broadsword, its blade still smeared with fresh blood.

He radiated a ruthless edge, his glare murderous.

He looked up at the words “Purple Sun Escort Bureau” emblazoned on Su Mo’s ship and let out a sharp laugh.

"Now *that’s* odd.

Out here on these waters, you hear about merchant ships, passenger ships, even pleasure barges from Xizhou.

But this?

An escort bureau?"

He turned to his crew.

“Ever heard of such a thing?”

His men—clueless as ever—all shrugged.

Su Mo, standing at the bow, found it amusing. “No escort bureaus down in the Southern Sea, brother?”

“Who asked you?!”

The man shot him a glare, killing intent flashing in his eyes.

“I know what an escort bureau is. Save your breath!

Boy, you looking for trouble?

Enough talk—”

Mid-sentence, he reached behind. One of his men handed him a boarding hook.

With a swift motion, he hurled it toward Su Mo’s ship.

Crash!

The hook latched onto the railing.

His men burst into laughter.

“Nice throw, boss!”

“After we seize this tub, who knows what rewards the captain’ll give us?”

“That other fight’s turning nasty. Who knew we’d get a sweet snack mid-feast?”

Sucking up to the blue-robed brute, they were already eyeing the ship like vultures.

The burly man in green yanked hard, and in one swift motion, he was already standing on the ship's railing.

Unfortunately, before he could even speak,

a flash of steel shot toward him.

Startled, he hurriedly looked up just as a draconic roar echoed through the air—the spear point was already at his neck.

He kicked off with his foot, attempting a backflip to escape.

But Yang Xiaoyun had chosen her timing perfectly—just as his toes grazed the railing, before he could plant his footing firmly.

At that moment, even if he tried to push off, his stance was too light and unstable. How could he possibly gain any leverage?

As it turned out, the slight push not only failed to help but caused his foot to slip. With a cry, he nearly slid right off the railing into the water.

But he didn’t fall.

Because in that instant, blood flashed—Yang Xiaoyun’s Dragon Abyss Spear had already pierced through his shoulder.

With a quick twist of her arms, she flicked the spear casually:

"Since you wanted to come aboard, who are we to refuse?

Welcome aboard!!"

As her words rang out, she whirled the spear in a wide arc, slamming the man onto the deck with a heavy thud.

The dull thud made Su Mo’s heart lurch.

It wasn’t from shock at Yang Xiaoyun’s martial arts—it was worry over whether the deck would be damaged.

After all, repairs weren’t cheap.

Luckily, this was no flimsy boat. It had taken Su Mo a full year to commission—a vessel built by the finest shipwrights using the best materials available.

So despite the tremendous impact, the man in green was nearly knocked out cold, yet the deck remained completely intact.

Seeing this, Su Mo finally exhaled in relief.

He raised his thumb approvingly:

"My lady, your skills are unmatched."

Hearing his praise, Yang Xiaoyun smiled. Marriage hadn’t changed her appearance dramatically, but it lent her a mature elegance.

It tempered her warrior’s edge, and now, her smile carried a whisper of allure.

That momentary glimpse vanished in an instant. The next moment, she stood at the bow, spear raised:

"Anyone else want a piece of this?"

They had just watched their leader—who had shown off his acrobatic skills moments ago—get skewered through the shoulder by that spear.

Now, as they heard Yang Xiaoyun’s challenge, as stunning as she was, they couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

Still, glancing back at their pirate ship nearby, they steeled themselves and bellowed in defiance:

"Do you even know who you're dealing with?"

Su Mo had no time to waste on their nonsense. With a flick of his sleeve, he unleashed two bursts of the Purple Sun Divine Palm.

These pirates were clearly no martial arts masters—their abilities paled in comparison to the two disciples of the Canglan Divine Blade.

As the palm force hurtled toward them, they stood frozen in fear, utterly bewildered about how to react.

In the next instant, the force violently exploded around them.

The two small boats shattered into pieces. Pirates flew in all directions, spitting blood as they plunged into the water, their fates uncertain.

Su Mo waved his hand:

"Bring us alongside."

Song Yuanlong nodded immediately and shouted orders to the crew, maneuvering the ship closer.

The pirate ship had clearly become aware of the situation.

At the bow sat a bare-chested man, his muscular body covered in thick, coarse chest hair resembling armor plating across his torso.

His face was rough and savage, his hair wild and bristling. He held a large bowl of wine, which he poured down his throat.

Beside him lay a table stacked high with food. After finishing the bowl, he grabbed a chunk of meat—half fat, half lean—and devoured it fiercely.

With iron-like jaws, he tore through the meat, washing it down with another gulp of wine.

Beside the table rested a broad, heavy blade, its surface decorated with raised dragon patterns.

Under the sunlight, it gleamed brilliantly, glinting coldly.

A pair of tiger-like eyes had already assessed the situation on Su Mo's side, and his brows couldn't help but furrow slightly:

"Ziyang Escort?

"Where did this 'Divine Dragon Crossing the Sea' come from?"

As he pondered, his gaze shifted to the large ship. A thought flickered through his mind, and he quickly made his decision.

How could he spit out the prize within grasp?

He immediately stood up, casually grabbing his blade, and marched to the prow of the ship. He took a deep breath and roared:

"Sea Snake Ceng Chou is conducting business here. Bystanders, step aside!!"

This burly man indeed possessed impressive inner strength.

His voice carried across the sea, though somewhat muffled, yet Su Mo and the others heard every word clearly.

Yet Su Mo and his companions looked at each other in confusion.

Clearly, they had no idea who this so-called "Sea Snake" was.

However, since the other party had announced his name and warned them to stay away, it was evident he was being cautious.

He intended to intimidate Su Mo and his group with his reputation, hoping they would back down.

Su Mo, however, just laughed and said:

"Looks like Boss Ceng’s running things here. We’re just passing through, and really shouldn’t be getting involved.

"But Boss Ceng, if you're handling your own business, why go out of your way to send someone over for pointless courtesies?

"That blue-robed fellow is still on our boat right now.

"Let’s be straight—our boat’s cramped, no extra rooms, barely enough grub and drink.

"He can't stay, he can't eat, so better send him back your way."

Unlike Ceng Chou’s bellowing, Su Mo drawled, calm and measured.

His voice carried steady and clear, reaching not just Ceng Chou but everyone aboard the larger ship.

They were gobsmacked.

Where in the world did this heavy hitter come from?

Even the clashing blades died down.

Surrounded as they were, a few men who stood out from the rank-and-file crew shot each other looks.

Eyes fixed on the Ziyang Escort banner, ears catching Su Mo’s words, they frowned slightly:

"Ziyang Escort… Why’s that ring a bell?"

Ceng Chou, clearly not as plugged in as those on the merchant vessel, simply shouted back at Su Mo:

"That man broke ship law with his solo act.

"If you don’t want him, feed him to the sharks.

"He’s shark bait either way, even if you send him back."

Su Mo let out a dry chuckle:

"Boss Ceng’s rules ain’t our problem.

"What you do with him is your own business..."

As he spoke, the ships drew closer. Su Mo hauled the blue-robed man up by the scruff and hurled him straight at Ceng Chou:

"Boss Ceng—catch him!!"

Ceng Chou looked up just in time to see the blue-robed man coming at him like a freight train, body churning the air, kicking up a gale across the sea before he even arrived.

For a moment, Ceng Chou went white as a sheet.

He cussed Su Mo for playing dirty.

"Catch him? If I do, I’m a dead man!"