Chapter 229
Jade-green water hammered the hull of the great ship without pause. The sea wind screamed. Arranged in a wild goose formation, the Heaven-bestowed fleet drove straight into the depths of the Jade Sea.
By now, the deck had nearly emptied, with only a handful of sailors left standing watch.
His cultivation was deep enough that the conditions gave him no concern. Lin Hui remained at the rail, gazing out at the distant water. He let the shifting environment wash over him, absorbing the sea's character as he cultivated.
Xia Si and the newly arrived Su Yaping stood beside him, doing the same. The trio drew the occasional respectful glance from sailors passing by—after all, they had been out here for at least three hours.
"You three—we're about to enter the closed sea region. You'd be wise to take shelter below," the captain said, coming up through the hatch. "My crew will be heading in shortly to seal the exterior doors."
The captain of their ship was a remarkably heavyset man. Whether he was born that dark or simply baked through years on open water was hard to say, but his complexion was barely a shade lighter than charcoal. He looked to be in his early thirties, with a close-cropped buzz cut and thick dark brown hair. Two curved sabers—one long, one short—hung at his waist.
He stood apart from his crew the moment he drew near, carrying a deep, unfamiliar incense about him—a sharp contrast to the fish-stink and sweat clinging to the other sailors.
"Closed sea region? Captain Nong Zhuo, could you explain?" Lin Hui asked. Since he hadn't spoken until now, Su Yaping and Xia Si hadn't bothered to open their mouths either.
"First time out at sea? Alright—we've still got about half a sichen before we hit it, so I'll walk you through it." The captain exhaled, drawing a black metal pipe from a pouch at the small of his back. A flick of his wrist produced a spark from somewhere unseen; he lit the tobacco, took a long drag, and blew a smoke ring.