"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Three cannon shots roared, shaking the heavens with the sound of golden drums.
Zheng Gongcheng left Chen Guang, Yang Zu, Lin Fu, and Zhang Zai, four generals, to lead the troops in guarding Penghu, then raised his command flag on his own flagship, ordered the sails be hoisted and the anchor weighed, and set sail directly for Treasure Island.
Thrusting through the waves, the warship sliced the sea into long skirts of water.
Li Changzhou stood on the deck, his light cotton robe and the three mast's white sails bulging with the soft sea breeze.
"This journey likely won't be peaceful," Yang Qinglan said, standing beside him, her black hair blowing in the wind, as if ready to ride it away.
"If an enemy comes, we'll confront them, and if trouble arises, we'll cover it up; and if it really comes to it, we'll strike first and you guys will have to complete the mission," Li Changzhou said, his elbow resting on the ship's railing unconsciously.
Yang Qinglan gave him a couple of looks, appearing like a college student on a trip.
"Now that you're in ancient times, try to act a bit more like an ancient," she said.
Li Changzhou straightened his back, hands clasped behind him.
"Relax, you're not a child in kindergarten," she said.
Li Changzhou couldn't help but smile: "Little mouths, shut them up; little eyes, look at the blackboard; hands behind backs, feet together, one two three four five seven, let's see who can stand the most neatly."
"Well done, Li Changzhou, your memory is really good, you get a gold star this week," Yang Qinglan laughed as well.
"A good memory doesn't necessarily mean you get gold stars. In the first grade, we had a Chinese test to see who could recite the most ancient poetry, and I couldn't recite any, so whenever others would recite, I would silently memorize it and then recite it back on the spot."
"Of course, there's no gold star in first grade, do you think you're still in kindergarten?"
"The Chinese teacher said I was dishonest and told the other students not to play with me," Li Changzhou said.
Yang Qinglan's smile disappeared, her brows slightly furrowed: "It's one thing to say you're dishonest, but to tell other students not to play with you? There are teachers like that?"
"Not every teacher is a good teacher," Li Changzhou smiled, "but I only met that one; most of the others were pretty standard, with a few particularly good ones—good and bad people exist regardless of their profession."
"Did kids still play with you back then?"
"I've forgotten, I didn't care about those things and didn't take them to heart."
Yang Qinglan remembered Li Changzhou's background; many things she had heard from Li Qianxia, but this was the first time she heard Li Changzhou speak about his own past.
"I didn't play with other kids when I was little," she said, "the teachers would encourage everyone to take the initiative to play with me."
"It would have been great if we were in the same class!"
Yang Qinglan wasn't boasting; she wanted to share her childhood with him.
Birdsong came from overhead; Li Changzhou looked up and saw several seagulls circling.
Since he could see seagulls, Treasure Island couldn't be far away.
Under the slogan of "expanding one's horizons, increasing 'Ability,'" Li Qianxia, who had been playing on the ship, ran over.
"Brother, they say we're about to reach Treasure Island!"
"Please, Your Lordship, turn back to Kinmen or Xiamen," the Asian elder riding a gazelle spoke up.
"And if I don't?" Zheng Chenggong fiercely questioned, his hand on his sword.
"I don't wish to kill," said another Westerner, looking complacent, "but if you waste one more word, I'll break one of your bones because you would have rejected my gospel, and to reject me is to reject the 'Saint Master.'"
"Right," a bespectacled Player chimed in, "leave us the boats with the big guns, and you all can take the smaller boats back."
"Your Lordship, don't waste words with them, order the cannons to fire!" Huang Ting couldn't stand the arrogance of the few.
Even Li Changzhou and the others had stayed inside the cabin, and if not for that, he would have liked to use the cannons to weigh their worth.
The Player who spoke of taking the ships, looking at Huang Ting, said: "Tear your own mouth."
Huang Ting hooked his fingers in the corners of his mouth and viciously pulled.
"Ahh!!"
The chilling scream resonated.
Huang Ting had torn his own mouth, exposing his gums and teeth, a truly horrifying sight.
"Do not make me repeat myself," said the bespectacled Player coldly, "also, any Players on the ship who don't wanna die had better get lost, don't think you're on the same level just because you matched up with us, we are the 'Saint Master's' Direct Disciples!"
Zheng Chenggong looked at the gruesome state of Huang Ting, his heart boiling with rage, and he looked towards Li Changzhou.
"Who is this 'Saint Master'?" Li Changzhou asked the Players.
The group burst into laughter.
"Turns out to be a kid who doesn't even know the 'Saint Master,' kid, move along, the ignorant are innocent, I'll spare you," said the Asian elder riding the gazelle.
"He may go, but the two women with him stay," the last Player spoke out, wearing a red Kasaya.
Li Changzhou, with his hands behind him, wore a smile on his lips, but his eyes were already brimming with murderous intent.
"I'm giving you two options," he said, "one, break that Kasaya-wearing person's limbs, sink him into the sea, and then scram yourself. Two, I do it personally and break the limbs of all of you."