"We"re going home," he declared, to the cheers of the ragged crew. The newbies, in particular, were getting overly tense after every dangerous encounter with the ma.s.sive denizens of the sea. The poor youths had their nerves stretched taut to breaking point, and they were extremely relieved once they learned that we had accomplished the mission.

But it wasn"t over yet. We still had to complete the return journey to the relatively safe sh.o.r.es of the Middle Continent. Just because we reeled in and slew the Void Whale didn"t mean the seas were suddenly bereft of danger. Many other magical beasts and sea monsters continued to linger beneath the abysmal depths of the ocean.

Well, that was what we martial artists were here for. We were supposed to escort the ship safely back to friendly sh.o.r.es. As such, I resumed my shift slightly after the battle. At least that was my intention, until I received the protests from the others.

"Hey, you did the most work, kid!" Qiang Zhe reprimanded me. "Getting eaten by the Void Whale, delivering the finishing blow directly to its brain…if anything, you"re the one who needs the most rest! Go to bed!"

"Zhe is…right, you know?" Mo Fa studied me with those sleepy-looking eyes of her while puffing on her pipe. "You are…the one who deserve rest…the most."

"Yeah! You"re making the rest of us look bad!" Du Yan complained.

I scratched my head and sighed. I had just taken a shower and changed my clothes, so I should look the freshest out of everyone, but even so…

"You look like h.e.l.l," Da Ge told me plainly. "Go get some sleep."

"You too," Lao Ren told Qiang Zhe and Mo Fa gruffly. "If I"m not mistaken, you were also on your shift when the Void Whale appeared."

Qiang Zhe and Mo Fa exchanged glances, and then they both nodded.

"I"m beat," Qiang Zhe groaned as he stretched himself and stifled a yawn. Beside him, Mo Fa c.o.c.ked her head to the right.

"I"ve expended too much of my qi earlier," Mo Fa admitted wearily. "I"ll take you up on your offer then."

"That"s why we"re heading down now," Qiang Zhe agreed as he grabbed my shoulder and roughly pushed me in the direction of the ship"s cabin. With no other recourse, I obediently followed the couple down the stairs.

We silently strolled down the corridor, and then suddenly Qiang Zhe turned to stare at me intently.

"At times like this, kids should just be kids and let the adults take care of them."

"R…right."

"You…did a great job…"

Mo Fa patted me on the shoulder before she left for her room. Qiang Zhe grinned and slightly pushed me toward the direction of my room.

"You heard her. Listen to Big Brother and Big Sister, all right? Go get some rest. If you really want to work, we"ll work you to the bone tomorrow."

"All right, all right." Pushing my gla.s.ses up, I conceded defeat and complied. Qiang Zhe stayed outside his room, as if he wanted to ensure that I obediently returned to my room instead of sneaking back upstairs.

Like h.e.l.l I would do that. I had better things to do than to sneak upstairs, just to get caught by the others. I was going to return to my room and sleep.

Admittedly, I was tired after all…

*

The next few days pa.s.sed by in a blur. Before I knew it, we were out of the Void Ring without any further casualties. Most of the sea monsters were content to let us sail by without incident, and the few who did attack us were slain and stored at seafood in the increasingly packed storage hold.

"I can"t believe we did it!"

Zi Xiao Ji was sitting on one of the chairs on the deck, gazing at the gradually brightening sky. We were just about to exit the Void Ring now and return to the light. Beside her, Zhao Shi and Da Ge kept a close watch.

"To think we would be able to successfully hunt a Void Whale!"

"Begging your pardon, Mistress, but why would we have taken this mission if we thought we would fail it in the first place?"

Zhao Shi shot her mistress a withering glare, but Zi Xiao Ji merely ignored her. Dangling her little feet off the chair, she raised her hand to squint against the glare of the bright sun. As for me, my gla.s.ses automatically darkened to protect my eyes.

"I can"t wait to go home…wait till Father and Mother hear about this!"

"I"m sure they"ll be considerably impressed," Da Ge remarked cheerfully. In contrast, Zhao Shi seemed to groan.

"That"s a.s.suming they forgive us for sneaking away and undertaking this mission without telling them…"

"Don"t worry," Da Ge a.s.sured her. "Sect Lady will most likely forgive us and consider this mission an invaluable experience of combat for Blood Blades and the young Mistress. She"ll most likely convince Sect Leader that this was absolutely necessary for the young mistress"s growth."

"…huh?" I frowned at that. Wasn"t it usually the other way around? The mother should be the one worried while the father encouraged the children to venture out on their own and gain the necessary experience to survive in life.

Or perhaps I was too rigidly stuck in my a.s.sumptions of gender role.

A ripple appeared in the sea again as some monster glided just beneath the surface, swimming parallel to the Mo Bi Di Ke. I glanced in its direction, my gla.s.ses going overtime and tracking its movements. Even though the Void Ring had hindered most of its sensors, they could still offer a limited function of tracking.

That guy…

Zhao Shi and Da Ge had noticed its presence too, and they slightly tensed. They weren"t on edge, just on their guard so that they would be ready if the monster decided to attack us. Over the last few days, there were a few who came close, but they seemed more curious than aggressive and swam away by themselves after a while. If possible, we would prefer not to provoke any of the ma.s.sive sea monsters into attacking our ship.

However, I was in no mood to fight, even if the current sea monster turned out to be more hostile than the others.

The gargantuan shape emerged out from the depths of the sea and sliced through the surface, barreling toward us at an insane speed. Right at the boundary, where several faint rays of sunlight trickled through, the ma.s.sive silhouette of a gigantic shark was visible. Its jaws wide open, it surged toward the ship in hopes of crushing the metallic hull with its countless rows of sharp teeth.

"d.a.m.n it!"

"Looks like we"ve no choice."

Zhao Shi and Da Ge sprang to their feet, drawing their weapons and getting ready for combat. Unfortunately, as I said earlier, I was in no mood to fight. Even so, I dragged myself out of my seat and staggered toward the railing.

"Wait for a bit," I told the puzzled duo.

"Eh? But it"s clearly attacking us!"

"I know," I a.s.sured Zhao Shi. "I plan to stop it before it reaches us."

"Ah." Da Ge nodded knowingly. "We"ll be relying on you then."

I smiled back, and then swung my sword. In an instant, I froze the entire area of sea in front of us, ensnaring the shark inside a block of ice and halting its momentum. The shark seemed to twitch, but enclosed within its glacial prison, it couldn"t move a muscle.

"Do you want to kill it and then bring it back for shark"s fin soup?" I asked the Blood Blades duo. Zhao Shi considered for a second, and then shook her head.

"Nah, not worth the trouble."

"Agreed." Da Ge was also shaking his head. "I want to be out of the Void Ring as soon as possible."

"All right, let"s leave before the giant shark breaks out of the ice."

I offered no argument, and returned to my seat. Even as I plopped down idly, I kept an eye on the giant shark to ensure its icy tomb wasn"t cracking. We didn"t want the nasty b.u.g.g.e.r chasing us all the way out of the Void Ring.

Unaware of what had just transpired, the crew continued to steer the ship forward into the safety of the world outside the Void Ring.

Fortunately, the next few days in the much calmer seas proved to be eventful. Out of the Void Ring, there were relatively few monster encounters. I was half-expecting to run into pirates again, but they never showed up.

That was good. After all the fighting against sea monsters and sparring against Qiang Zhe and Lao Ren, I was in no mood to fight. h.e.l.l, I was exhausting myself just from trying to keep up with the both of them.

On the bright side, I learned a lot from the elder and the veteran, so it was totally worth it. I even thought that I would learn more from sparring with them than actually fighting with pirates or colossal sea monsters.

And just like that, another three days pa.s.sed and we found ourselves within sight of the sh.o.r.e. The docks were growing more and more visible as we neared it, and even from this distance I could see the lively hustle and bustle of the workers and disembarked crews. There was a lot of loading and unloading happening.

Having secured a ma.s.sive supply of seafood, as well as the extremely valuable carca.s.s of the Void Whale, I knew precisely the kind of work that port work entailed.

"We"re finally back, eh?"

Qiang Zhe emerged from the cabin to look at the bustling port, a smile etched across his handsome face. He had clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back slightly to admire the scenery.

"With this, I can not only pay my debts, but also live luxuriously for a couple of decades!"

"a.s.suming…you don"t lose…all of your money…through gambling."

"Ugh!"

Qiang Zhe winced at Mo Fa"s reminder when she came onto the deck. She greeted me with a warm smile.

"It was…a pleasure working…with you. I hope…we will have…another opportunity…to work together…again."

I accepted her hand and shook it. "Same here."

Mo Fa nodded and then turned back to Qiang Zhe.

"I"ll be…keeping a close eye…on your expenses…this time."

"Oh, come on!" Qiang Zhe protested. "I promise I won"t go gambling this time! Even if I do, I swear I"ll put a limit on how much I"ll bet! Really!"

"You…said that…the last time too…"

"Ugh…!"

Cold perspiration appeared on Qiang Zhe"s face as he melted under Mo Fa"s scrutiny. Scratching his head, he groaned and glanced toward me for help. I could only shrug before an idea suddenly came to mind.

"Hey, isn"t Mo Fa waiting for you to propose to her?"

"Huh?! Propose?! What the h.e.l.l are you talking about!?" Qiang Zhe almost choked when he heard my question. However, Mo Fa smiled faintly and place her hands on her wide hips, staring at the trembling Qiang Zhe.

"Indeed…I have been…waiting a long time…for it."

"You brat…!" Qiang Zhe tried to send a glare at me, but shuddered when he felt the intensity of Mo Fa"s glare.

"It has…been a long time…coming."

"Ugh! Fine! Fine! I"ll buy you a ring when we get back onsh.o.r.e! I"ll propose to you properly!" Qiang Zhe was clutching his head as he howled helplessly. While he submitted to Mo Fa, I smirked behind the scenes, satisfied with what I had done.

I had seen the way Mo Fa gazed at Qiang Zhe, after all, and I didn"t want her to suffer the same fate as me. It felt great to push Qiang Zhe toward proposing toward the woman who clearly loved him dearly.

That didn"t stop Qiang Zhe from glaring at me. You"d better watch it, he mouthed.

"Congratulations," I replied outright instead, causing him to flinch. Qiang Zhe sighed and finally shook his head in resignation.

"…thanks, I guess?"

"Yes…thank you indeed." Mo Fa was absolutely glowing. "If you hadn"t…given this blockhead…a little push, he would…never have proposed…and…I"ll be stuck waiting…forever."

"Don"t be so dramatic!" Qiang Zhe complained.

"Ha ha ha ha! What is this? A true occasion for celebration indeed!" Lao Ren seemed to have heard everything and he strode over in delight. "A wedding! That means a feast! And a party! We should celebrate this joyous event!"

"Not you too…" Qiang Zhe groaned. Lao Ren didn"t seem to have heard him, having descended into a raving insanity.

"Ah…how I wish to be young again!"

"Aren"t you already married, geezer?" Qiang Zhe growled. Lao Ren started for a moment, and then smiled sadly.

"I…was."

An awkward silence fell over us, when we figured out what he meant by the use of past tense. Qiang Zhe lowered his head apologetically.

"Sorry. I didn"t mean…"

"I know. I don"t blame you. And I"ve gotten over it." Lao Ren waved his apologies away. "I"ve been widowed for a long time now. Time heals all wounds."

"But it leaves scars," I muttered. Lao Ren glanced at me, surprised. Then he sighed.

"Perhaps, but it"s not that bad. I still have my brother to accompany me."

"What was that?" Lao Tou poked his head out of a window. "Talking bad about me behind my back again?"

His statement brought out some laughter from the people on the deck, and eased the mood somewhat.

While snickering at Lao Tou"s confusion, I turned back to stare in the direction of the bustling Great Zhou port. I would be so glad when I found my feet on top of dry land again. I had spent too much time out on sea.

I wonder how everyone is doing?

My heart fluttered a little as the memories of my friends and family flashed across my mind. It had been a couple of weeks since I had seen them, and while I called my family a few times per week – mostly to a.s.sure them that I was still alive – it would be great to see them in person. I also needed to catch up on current events after being away for so long.

Come to think of it, Qi Hong hasn"t really responded much to my messages.

The combination of fantasy-like qi and technology had allowed me to receive a signal on my cellphone even out in the middle of the sea. The Void Ring proved to be the exception, but the whole area was jamming all sorts of things, not just electromagnetic signals, so that wan"t unusual. That said, Tang Qi Hong gave the briefest of replies once I regained the signal upon leaving the Void Ring. Unlike my parents, who had a lot to say to me after a few days of not being able to contact me, she just acknowledged that I was safe before falling silent again.

I guessed she was busy. Surely she wasn"t avoiding me just because I confessed to her the other time? I even brushed it off as a hypothesis rather than confirm that it was a real confesion. And the atmosphere between us wasn"t so awkward before I left for this mission…

"It"ll be your turn next, Brother Wu!"

"Huh? What?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and whirled around when Zi Xiao Ji spoke up. She was grinning at me from the side.

"You have to buy a ring and propose to Sister Qi Hong too!"

"Oh? What"s this?"

Qiang Zhe scented blood and he quickly sidled over with a mischievous grin.

"Seems like you have a girl of your own, eh, kid?"

"I wish." I sighed, feeling reluctant to tell them the truth. But I didn"t want to deceive Zi Xiao Ji and ended up weaving a lie into a much bigger misunderstanding in future that would come and bite me in the a.s.s. That was how all unnecessary drama was created. Through lies and deceit borne out of a desire to preserve my fragile ego. "I got rejected."

"Huh?!"

Zi Xiao Ji stared at me in astonishment, not sure if she believed what she was hearing. Qiang Zhe, on the other hand, looked as if he was stricken with guilt again. The poor guy…always b.u.mbling into what seemed to be other people"s misfortune.

"Are you sure?!"

"Qi Hong said something about needing to focus on being the next sect leader of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, and dealing with all the high expectations that Sect Leader and Elder Hai Mo placed on her. She doesn"t want to lose to Liang Shao Yang, and wishes to pour all her heart and attention into that goal. As a result she has no intention of having a romantic relationship with any guy, at least at this point of time and in the near future."

"No way…" Zi Xiao Ji placed her hand on her mouth.

"Well, that makes sense." Zhao Shi stepped in with a sigh. "There"s no way Junior Tang will settle for just any man." She glanced at me, her gaze defrosting. "No offense."

"None taken."

"Okay…as I said, Junior Tang needs to find the right man. A guy with the appropriate strength, talent and status. Otherwise her position as the next sect leader will be threatened. Already it"s under threat from the appearance of a second prodigy, Liang Shao Yang. Unless Junior Fei is able to somehow prove his potential, he wouldn"t be fit to be Junior Tang"s partner."

"I"m sure Wu has proven himself more than capable of meeting those requirements." As ever the optimist, Da Ge offered some encouragement. I smiled at him gratefully, but then shook my head.

"Thank you, but I have not. I"m still far from being worthy of anything or anybody. I"ll have to continue working hard."

"You can be a Blood Blade," Da Ge pointed out. "We"ll definitely welcome you with open arms."

"You certainly have proven yourself in combat," Zhao Shi agreed. "And your skills and experience far surpa.s.s the majority of those in the Blood Blades. We"ll talk to Elder Zhao when we return to Tushan City. We"ll get you a place in there. Who knows, you might be like Sect Mistress, being the martial half to Junior Tang"s blacksmithing half."

I raised both hands. "Let"s not get too ahead of ourselves shall we? There are still things I need to learn and do before I consider the Blood Blades."

"Eh?" Da Ge looked slightly disappointed. "We could really use your strength."

"Eventually," I a.s.sured him. "Just not now. I still have a few blacksmithing and Spirit Engraving techniques I wish to learn before I go anywhere."

"Oh!" Zi Xiao Ji"s eyes lit up. "That"s great!" she sent a glance at her bodyguards, as if to tell them to stop pressuring me. She then turned back to me with a sweet smile. "If it"s about blacksmithing and Spirit Engraving, feel free to approach me for help or advice at any time!"

"I will."

Not too long after that, we finally anch.o.r.ed ourselves at the jetty and disembarked. As usual, I proceeded to help the crew unload the seafood and Void Whale stuff from the cargo hold, bringing them into a lorry that would ferry the spoils of our catch into a warehouse.

Du Yan and the Iron Mountain Sect trio took the heads to the nearest branch of the authorities, promising to split the reward after they received it. Having fought alongside them against colossal sea monsters, there was no reason to distrust them.

As we loaded the Void Whale parts into another lorry, I reached for my bag in reflex. To my relief, my share of the Void Whale parts was still in there.

I couldn"t help but recall the conversation that occurred just after we had slain the Void Whale. The crew was loading the carca.s.s into the ship, helped immensely by the artificial ice ground that I had frozen over the surface of the sea.

Despite the solid footing, the ice was not without its dangers. The surface was slippery and the crewmen had to move slowly and carefuly to avoid slipping and falling on the ice. I could see them stumbling about, and to be fair, I would have suffered the same fate had I not trained in martial arts and learned footwork techniques.

As we loaded the carca.s.s into the storage hold after several trips, I took the initiative to approach the others and make a request.

"Um, do you guys mind if I help myself to some parts of the Void Whale? I can subtract that from my share of the reward if…"

"What are you talking about?" Lao Ren scoffed. "Take whatever you need. You"ve earned it."

"Yes…and don"t you worry about…your reward. Unless you"re planning to…take more than five percent…I"m sure no one will miss…whatever amount you take."

Mo Fa nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! In the first place, you"re the one who killed it!" Qiang Zhe concurred fiercely. "If anyone stops you from taking some Void Whale meat or whatever, I"ll give him a good whack!"

"Thank you."

I had bowed and thanked everyone for being so accommodating with my selfish request. Before I could proceed to grab whatever I needed, however, Zi Xiao Ji was curious for the reason why I wanted some Void Whale stuff.

"What do you need the Void Whale parts for?"

"I"m hoping to create a device similar in function to the spatial storage bags," I had explained to her. "I intend to one day create a tool where I can store my stuff inside without worrying about s.p.a.ce and weight."

"Ah! That makes sense!" Zi Xiao Ji had nodded enthusiastically. "That"s why you came along on this mission! The Void Whale parts are more important to you than the money!"

"That"s right…sort of." Then something occurred to me. "Do you know how to forge and Spirit Engrave a spatial storage device?"

"Hmm…" Zi Xiao Ji had frowned sullenly. "I"m afraid not. The only people who know are probably the elders. Especially Sect Leader and Elder Hai Mo…if you want to learn how to forge a spatial storage device, it"s best to approach those elders."

"That"s exactly what Qi Hong is doing right now. I believe she"s learning directly from First Elder Hai Mo."

"Oh!" Zi Xiao Ji turned delighted, a mischievous smile spreading across her cute face. "Then you"ve a chance…ahem, I mean then you can as her to teach you directly after she finishes learning from Elder Hai Mo!"

"I certainly will." I nodded. That had been my original plan from the start. I was slightly disappointed that Zi Xiao Ji didn"t know the techniques for it, or I could speed up the process. Too bad reality wasn"t as convenient as fiction.

I had to take the long, hard way. Well, patience was necessary for success.

"You really like helping out, don"t you?"

I broke out of my reminiscence, only to find Zhao Shi staring at me, her arms crossed. Sighing, she grabbed me and dragged me away from the docking crew.

"They"re being paid for their labor. You"re not."

"But I feel bad…"

"Don"t! You"ll make the rest of us feel bad too!"

"…oh."

"And besides, if you don"t hurry, you"ll miss the bus! You got a way home by yourself or something?"

"…oh."

That was the decisive blow. Without any means of transport other than a five-hour trip by public commute, I would very much prefer not to miss the chartered bus. Checking my belongings one last time to ensure that the precious Void Whale material was still with me, I thn followed Zhao Shi to where Da Ge and Zi Xiao Ji were waiting.

"You"re really a nice guy," Da Ge told me with a smile.

"Aw…if Sister Qi Hong rejects you, she really doesn"t know what she"s missing." Zi Xiao Ji was shaking her head bitterly. "I need to talk some sense into her!"

"I would rather you don"t…it might make things more awkward between us."

"Junior Fei is right," Zhao Shi told a dejected Zi Xiao Ji. "We shouldn"t meddle in the love affairs of other people. It"ll only make them mad. And it"s not as if you don"t know how petty and stubborn Junior Tang can be."

"Eh…"

"Don"t worry," I a.s.sured Zi Xiao Ji. "I"ll figure something out."

"Yeah!" Da Ge chirped in good-naturedly. "You"ll make Junior Tang regret ever having dumped you!"

"Anyway," I cut in hastly so that I could steer the subject away in a safer direction. Safer for my mental wellbeing, anyway. "Where"s the bus? Aren"t we returning to Tushan?"

"Oh, before that, we"re stopping by a restaurant along the way."

"Eh?" I stared at Zi Xiao Ji blankly. She grinned.

"Have you already forgotten, silly? Qiang Zhe and Mo Fa are getting married! We"re going to celebrate!"

"It"s also a double celebration for accomplishing the mission and safely returning to sh.o.r.e!" Da Ge added gleefully.

"Yay!" Zhao Shi punched the air. "I can"t wait! I"m going to order the best wine the restaurant has!"

Oi, oi. Don"t go spending all your money on wine so soon after the mission.

"Well, is everyone ready?"

Looking up, I caught sight of Qiang Zhe and Mo Fa approaching. Du Yan joined in not later, and even the two old men, Lao Ren and Lao Tou, were present. The only people absent were the Iron Mountain Sect trio, with Yi Shan insisting that they needed to return to their sect as quickly as possible after depositing the Smoker Pirates" heads at the closest police post.

Oh well. Not everyone wanted to join in, after all. I was feeling a little reluctant, but I wasn"t anti-scoal to the point where I spurned such events. Besides, this might be the last time I saw Qiang Zhe and Mo Fa, and I wanted to send them off with good memories.

"Yup!"

"We sure are!"

"Let"s go!"

As everyone chorused cheerfully, I smiled to myself and followed them into the chartered bus.

Hopefully this wouldn"t be the last time our paths crossed, and Heavens willing, we might meet again in future.