Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 222: Chapter 59: The Dance of the Fish and Dragon

Dark clouds loomed overhead, and waves undulated wildly.

Chains linked the ship’s planks, creating a deck broad enough for a horse to gallop upon.

The Tianbo Division, assembled from eighty large ships, resembled a moving miniature island. On the ships were attics, watchtowers, handrails, grand and splendid. Much of the usual construction had been dismantled to clear out a large open space.

Dotted amongst the large and small dark indigo sailboats, a thousand sails stood competing against each other on the sea, like a vast black forest.

Triangular flags, half-rolled canvas, interlaced hemp ropes, bamboo poles resting on the decks, the bustling voices from the ships penetrated the dark clouds.

Zhang He’s nine-star black sails, Zhufen’s Celestial Horse Sail, Lin Ajin’s Sword and Saber Sail, and Li Yan’s grand red sails plunged into the Tianbo Division from all four corners.

...

Amidst the tumultuous footsteps, the major predators of the South Seas brought their people aboard and stepped onto the open deck.

Inside the Tianbo Division was a makeshift deck functioning as a plaza that could accommodate thousands of people.

In the middle of the arena there was a rose-mauve round table with five large chairs made from Hainanese rosewood and carved with roses.

The table was five meters across, and cascading tables and benches arranged in various heights spread outwards. Four alleys were left open leading directly to the center.

The case was laden with glasses of wine and plates of fruit, with Hu Ji leading various leaders to their seats with charm and grace.

A flock of flaming macaw parrots flapped their wings and descended from the rigging, pecking at the scattered bananas and apples on the table.

Cai Qian stood by the railing, draped in a black cloak, idly teasing a parrot’s throat with his finger.

A fiery red gemstone ring adorned his forefinger, etched with smooth patterns that exuded a sense of antiquity.

If the first time Li Yan met Cai Qian, the master of the Tianbo Division had a trace of the transcendental air of a hermit, now seeing him again was like seeing dark, knife-cut mountains piercing the sea of clouds, rugged and indescribable.

Cai Qian clasped his hands together, “Tianbao, thanks for gracing us with your presence.”

Li Yan laughed heartily, warmly grasping Cai Qian’s hand.

Cai Qian glanced inadvertently behind Li Yan, where twenty old lorchas with red sails and cannons pointed outwards floated on the sea. Gu sat on the wooden pole at the prow of the ship, silently smoking a tobacco pipe, gazing at the Tianbo Division conference venue. Behind him, pirates from the Red Flag Gang topped the dark clouds, torches in hand.

Xiu, dressed in a pale red robe with her hair in double buns, pulled on Li Yan’s hand, and Cha Xiaodao, Zhao Xiaoyi, along with over a hundred Gaoli ghosts of the Red Flag followed them into the arena.

Zhang He, dressed in a black Qilin Martial Outfit, had pirates wearing military garb, since the Demon Thief’s men had long ago become whitewashed officials of An Nan, so this attire was expected.

Moreover, the English and An Nan had a conflict a few days prior, affecting the king who was supervising the battle, and at the moment, An Nan was divided by war, with battlefields across its lands. Thus, no one would bother investigating Zhang He’s Qilin outfit for impropriety.

Zhufen’s casual attire, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, included wearing a straw cape and a firearm at his waist, seeming somewhat incongruous. Raised from the rabble, he was known for making connections. He rose to his current status through raiding merchant ships passing by Guangzhou, his methods were cruel, leaving no survivors, which made for an extremely poor reputation.

Treasure Ship King Lin Ajin, pale-faced and frail, carried a handkerchief with him, covering his mouth when he coughed, as if he might fall at any moment.

He was forty this year and had been coughing for thirty years, mainly active around Singapore. Even his ancestors had participated in the Sanbao Eunuch’s expedition to the Western Ocean; his ships were built from old dynasty blueprints, no worse than the Red-haired Men’s ships, only lagging far behind in terms of firearms.

With so many people around, the venue was naturally hard to control. Many pirates harbored old grudges against each other; encounters like ‘you blinded one of my eyes back then’ and ‘I chopped off one of your arms’ were all too common. Not to mention among the pirates at the red round table, rivalries between the major forces also turned especially hostile upon meeting.

Li Yan and Zhang He exchanged glances, icy stares betraying their feud. Their grudge between the two families needed no further words. Tianbao had also participated in several attempts by the Five Flagsi Alliance to wipe out the Demon Thief in his early years.

Treasure Ship King’s father had taken part in the official force that captured Treasure Island, making the Five Flags people loathe the Treasure Ship Lin family to the bone. But as they were far apart, there had been no conflicts in a while

Zhufen had once worshipped at the Old Gang Leader Zheng’s house, so he had a good relationship with the Red Flag Gang. However, Madam Shi loathed Zhufen’s trafficking of women and children. After she came into power, the relationship between the two families had gone cold.

Yet Treasure Ship King was also a mortal enemy of the Demon Thief; both of Lin Ajin’s children had died at Zhang He’s hands.

And with Treasure Ship King’s pride and disdain for lowly people like Zhufen,

Tianbo Division’s Cai Qian kept to himself, which gained him face, but had little sway; expecting a band of bandits and rebels to willingly acknowledge a businessman as Alliance Hierarch was, as one could guess, impossible.

The complex relations between the families meant that while at first glance they all seemed like adversaries, careful analysis revealed the subtleties in their priorities. Today’s contest for the leadership was utterly bewildering.

…

There were a total of five chairs around the mauve round table in the center. Cai Qian, Zhang He, Zhufen, and Lin Ajin each took their seats. The Red Flag Gang arrived last, leaving only one chair in the center.

“Tianbao, please take a seat!”

Cai Qian extended his hand.

Li Yan made a respectful bow in response and, bending at the waist, whispered to Xiu’er, “Xiu’er, you go take a seat. Don’t be nervous.”

“Where will Brother Tianbao sit?”

Zheng Xiu’er asked, looking up.

“I won’t sit anywhere; I’ll stand by your side.”

Zheng Xiu’er nodded, let go of Li Yan’s hand of her own accord, stepped forward in her embroidered shoes, and sat down on the large pearwood chair, her feet not reaching the ground.

To her left was Zhang He, clad in his Qilin martial outfit. The demon thief, at that moment, had his long eyebrows knitted together, his face grim, casting sidelong glances at Zheng Xiu’er with the corner of his eyes.

The girl turned her face to look at him, pouted her lips, and then turned her head away, ignoring him.

To her right was the constantly coughing Lin Ajin, who glanced at the young girl and took a slice of orange from the table to offer her.

“Want to try it?”@@novelbin@@

“Thank you, no need,” Zheng Xiu’er said seriously.

Lin Ajin smiled kindly, tossed the slice of orange into his own mouth.

“My oversight!”

Cai Qian smacked his head and called out to Yan Ajiu behind him, “Ajiu, bring another chair for Brother Tianbao.”

“There’s no need, I’m not contending for the Alliance Hierarch, so there’s no point in sitting down.”

Cai Qian tried to insist but Li Yan was adamant about standing, and in the end, Li Yan was allowed to stand in the assembly.

Li Yan walked to the space between the seats of Zheng Xiu’er and Zhang He and grabbed the back of Zhang He’s chair.

“Old Zhang, move your chair aside a bit, I need some space to stand.”

Actually, there was enough room around the table for Li Yan to stand comfortably; it was just a little cramped with people on both sides.

Zhang He clearly perceived the provocation in Li Yan’s words, his lips curled into a cold smile, “This chair is heavy; I can’t move it. Why don’t you try?”

“Alright.”

Sparks seemed to fly from their eyes.

Li Yan’s grip on the chair back tightened, while Zhang He’s fingers twitched slightly, and he silently mouthed a few syllables.

Taiping Document – Moving Mountain!

“Brother Tianbao, if you don’t mind, stand on my side,” Lin Ajin suddenly interjected, rising and pulling his chair aside to make space, getting a bit closer to Cai Qian’s position.

The tension eased, and Li Yan cupped his hands in thanks, “Much appreciated,” and gracefully moved away, eliciting a cold snort from Zhang He.

Below the stage, covering the view of over a thousand pirate leaders and their followers, there was much discussion upon realizing that it wasn’t Li Yan sitting at the round table, but a young girl. However, many of the old pirates who had clearly weathered storms raised their impression of Tianbao upon seeing this scene.

“That must be the child of Old Gang Leader Zheng and Queen Yan, isn’t it?”

“Tianbao doesn’t seem to be the type to abandon his friends when they’re no longer of use.”

“Having someone surnamed Zheng sit as the Alliance Hierarch, I think that would be good.”