Chapter 182 - 119: Treasure Ship
As they were speaking, a medium-sized cargo ship flying the banner of the Weiyuan Escort Agency came speeding out from the direction of the island.
The ship was moving quickly, clearly eager to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.
Five or six people stood at the bow. The one in the lead had a sturdy build and a full, wiry beard. His aura was clearly that of an Early-stage Embrace Pill Power expert.
Although he and the Escort Masters behind him were stained with blood, and many were injured, their faces were all beaming with elation and excitement. The ship’s hold was packed to the brim; bulging cloth sacks even spilled out of the cabin door.
A glint flashed in Shen Xiuyong’s eyes. With a slight movement, he appeared on the water’s surface directly in front of the escort ship in the next instant. His Li Huo True Qi formed an invisible platform beneath his feet, allowing him to stand steadily.
The speeding escort ship screeched to a halt, its bow kicking up a large spray of water.
"Halt! I am Shen Xiuyong, an Elder of the Wutai Sect."
Shen Xiuyong’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every Escort Master. "The Wutai Sect is here clearing out the remnants of the Demon Sect! Who are you? What are you carrying on this ship? Have you seen any sign of the Zheng Family’s remnants or the bandit chiefs of Nine Waves Island? Submit to an inspection immediately!"
The elation on the bearded Leader of the Escort’s face froze instantly. Seeing who was blocking their path, his heart sank. ’Damn my luck!’ he cursed inwardly. ’Why did we have to run into this killer!’
He forced a smile, cupped his fist in salute, and adopted an extremely humble posture. "So it is Elder Shen! I am Zhao Kun, Chief of the Weiyuan Escort Agency. Greetings, senior! We are by no means Water Bandits, nor are we associated with the Zheng Family! We were merely responding to the call to suppress the bandits and came to lend a hand. We were fortunate enough to acquire some spoils of war and were just about to return..."
Shen Xiuyong remained expressionless. His gaze swept over Zhao Kun’s and his nervous Escort Masters’ faces before glancing at the bulging, valuable-looking bundles on the ship. "Oh? Lending a hand? Your word alone isn’t proof. The island is in chaos right now. There’s no guarantee that remnants of the Water Bandits haven’t mixed in with the Loose Cultivator teams, attempting to flee with important evidence or Demon Sect assets. You must open your hold for inspection. If your gains are indeed legitimate, you will naturally be allowed to pass. If you’re hiding forbidden items from the Demon Sect or core funds stolen by the Zheng Family... Hmph!"
His final cold snort carried a chilling killing intent, sending a shiver down the spines of Zhao Kun and his men.
’Open the hold for inspection?’
They knew full well how much of the wealth on board was legitimately obtained and how much was plundered amidst the chaos, or even taken by double-crossing others.
’If this Wutai Sect Elder actually conducts a thorough search, we’ll be in big trouble!’
Cold sweat trickled down Zhao Kun’s face. He instantly understood the other party’s intention.
’What inspection? This is clearly extortion, using his sect’s power as leverage!’
He felt aggrieved and furious, but facing this killer, Shen Xiuyong, and the behemoth of a sect behind him, the thought of resisting was extinguished the moment it arose.
He gritted his teeth and forced a smile that was uglier than a sob.
"Senior, please understand! We’re from a minor organization; how would we dare to secretly hoard items from the Demon Sect? All we have on board are some worthless, bulky goods not worthy of your esteemed eyes... However, you and the distinguished disciples of your sect are working so hard to clear out the riffraff and maintain order. How could we juniors show no appreciation? Please accept this small token, just enough to buy you and your fellow disciples a cup of tea to relieve your fatigue!"
As he spoke, he waved his hand, his heart aching at the cost.
Although the Escort Masters behind him were extremely reluctant, they quickly dragged several heavy sacks and two exquisite wooden chests from the hold, carefully lowering them onto the deck of Shen Xiuyong’s Treasure Ship with ropes.
Only then did Shen Xiuyong nod slightly, a hint of satisfaction on his face. He waved his hand. "Mm, Chief Zhao is thoughtful. Go on, be careful on your way."
As if granted a royal pardon, the Weiyuan Escort Agency’s ship immediately went full throttle, fleeing in a panic without a second glance.
Seeing this, Chen Qing had a sudden realization!
’This Shen Xiuyong is a real piece of work!’
Shen Xiuyong’s so-called ’guarding the main thoroughfare’ and ’preventing any fish from slipping through the net’ was essentially just using the Wutai Sect’s might to carry out a blatant, ’legal’ robbery!
The risk was far lower than joining the chaotic battle on the island, but the potential rewards were much more lucrative and stable!
This was far more shrewd than rushing onto the island to pull chestnuts from the fire!
With a flicker, Shen Xiuyong returned to the deck of his Treasure Ship.
CLATTER!
He casually sliced open one of the sacks, and a radiant golden light instantly poured out!
Inside were neatly stacked gold ingots, weighing at least a hundred taels in total!
Another sack contained various uncut ores, glittering brilliantly in the sunlight.
Opening the wooden chests, one contained neatly stacked, high-grade Yunjin Brocade, while the other held several stalks of Treasure Medicine. They weren’t very old, only two or three years, but were still quite valuable.
This "Tea Money," a mere thirty-percent cut, was already worth far more than several months’ income for an ordinary Fishery Steward!
Shen Xiuyong tossed a pigeon-egg-sized ruby in his hand. Seeing the look of dawning comprehension on Chen Qing’s face, he chuckled and said in a low voice:
"Kid, see it now? This is called ’borrowing Momentum’! Understand? Sect Leader Shi of the Xuanjia Sect, Master Chu, and Dean Peng—all those great Astral Force masters—are holding down the fort on the island, slaughtering enemies left and right, and pinning down the biggest tigers. In these waters, the name of our Wutai Sect is a golden guarantee. It’s the greatest Momentum there is!"
"We’re guarding this chokepoint, conducting inspections with perfect justification. Those guys who’ve stuffed their pockets and want to slip away? If they’re a dragon, they’d better coil up; if they’re a tiger, they’d better lie down! We make them bleed a little to buy safe passage, and they even have to thank us for not digging deeper! This way, we complete the Sect’s mission to ’assist in the cleanup and maintain order,’ and we get some real benefits on the side. It’s the best of both worlds! Why bother fighting tooth and nail with that pack of red-eyed madmen?"
With that, he handed the ruby to Chen Qing. "Here, kid. A reward for you."
Chen Qing accepted the ruby, cupped his fist, and said, "Elder Shen is wise."
That afternoon, Shen Xiuyong’s business was indeed booming. He stopped another two groups returning fully laden with spoils.