The Nine Cauldrons
chapter-311

On the edge of the beach, on a desolate path in the forest area.

Teng Qingshan, Li Jun and the fisherman, “Shangguan Quan”, went through a sparse grass vegetation, looking into the distant tungsten wood vessel that was surrounded by large group of soldiers. The Whole Gale Eagle was in high altitude hovering about.

“Oh no!” Shangguan Quan’s complexion greatly changed, “Noble hero, your precious boat has been discovered by the soldiers of the House of General. This precious boat was able to go through the submerged reef of the Nine Rhythm Treacherous Currents without being damaged, thus, the soldiers must be craving for the boat. Noble hero, are there any other treasures inside precious boat?”

Teng Qingshan stared into the distance, “Does the fist-sized green gem count?”

“Of course it counts!” Shangguan Quan was alarmed, “Noble hero, taking your precious boat back will be very difficult.”

“Who are these people and what is the House of General?” Teng Qingshan was not worried at all. At least, the situation was still in Teng Qingshan’s control, since the boat hasn’t been towed away yet.

Shangguan Quan hastily explained, “Noble hero, I’ve told you about our Bright Moon Island’s eighteen towns having a total of eighteen Houses of Generals. The towns near the sea have many soldiers stationed in the barracks on the seaside, and these soldiers should be the soldiers under the House of General of the Northern Yan Town.

Teng Qingshan nodded and faced Shangguan Quan with a smile, “Shangguan Quan, you ran around with us for half a day. Good job! Here’s your reward——”

With this, Teng Qingshan took out a pouch from his bosom and grabbed all of the scattered purple pearls, then he gave it to Shangguan Quan.

The purple pearls within the pouch wasn’t a lot, but it was still about a hundred or so pearls.

“These purple pearls are for me?” Shangguan Quan suddenly widened his eyes while holding his breath in.

Shangguan Quan’s eyes showed hints of red, and his mind flashed back to the suffering he had experienced throughout the years. Supporting an entire family by himself was simply too tiring. “I can afford buying my son a good trenchant sword, and I don’t have enough to cure my wife's illness.” Thinking about this, Shangguan Quan had to kneel down.

“These things are useless for us.” Teng Qingshan stretched his hand and held Shangguan Quan’s shoulders, preventing Shangguan Quan from kneeling down despite his attempt to.

“My benefactor!” Shangguan Quan was grateful from the bottom of his heart.

He originally thought that he would have to endure hardship today, but who would’ve thought that the heavens would drop a big meat pie. A hundred or so purple pearls! If he used it frugally, it would be enough to last his family an entire lifetime.

“Alright, you should go back,” Teng Qingshan instructed.

“Benefactor,” Shangguan Quan hastily answered, “You should be extremely careful. No matter how strong you are, you can’t win against numbers! Also… the army’s sword formation is exceptionally difficult to deal with. According to the rumors, even experts that have reached the Innate Realm would be in great danger if they were trapped in a Supreme Sword Formation.” This time, Shangguan Quan was sincerely being considerate about Teng Qingshan and Li Jun.

Teng Qingshan and Li Jun glanced at each other.

Supreme Sword Formation? Able to threaten innate experts?

“Alright.” Teng Qingshan nodded. Shangguan Quan then repeatedly bowed before he left in sorrow, leaving Teng Qingshan and Li Jun behind.

Beside Teng Qingshan and Li Jun were two large bags filled with food, seasoning ingredients, clothings, and other materials they bought in town.

“Big Brother Teng, what should we do?” Li Jun looked at Teng Qingshan, “Slaughter them and then leave?” Li Jun had her share of experience; back when she was a young girl, she killed her enemies with her own hands in front of her teacher. With such an experience, Li Jun was naturally not the compassionate and lenient kind of person.

“There are a few hundred people here.”

Teng Qingshan glanced into the distance, “Depends on the situation, if we can avoid killing, then we won’t kill. If they’re really being difficult, then they can’t blame us for killing them!” Teng Qingshan’s gaze was calm. A few hundred soldiers? Even if they had excellent sword skills, they still wouldn’t hold any importance to Teng Qingshan.

“Come, let’s go over there!”

Teng Qingshan put the two large bags over his shoulders and carried a bundle on his back. With large steps, he strided towards the beach while Li Jun quietly followed behind him.

……

On the beach, a lot of soldiers were on the tungsten wood vessel.

“Quick, what are you all doing up there? Each of you, hurry up, row the boat to the barracks.” Currently, a high-ranking officer held two fist-sized Iron Leaf fruits in his hands as he shouted.

“Sir, this boat only have two oars, and they’re exceptionally long and large. We are simply unable to row it.”

The soldiers on board of the tungsten wood vessel were anxious.

“What?” The high-ranking officer glared; back when he entered the boat, he only saw the Iron Leaf Fruits, these precious treasures. He simply did not notice that there were merely two sculling oars.

{(TLN: Though the author wrote Iron Leaf Fruits, they still think it’s gem.)

How could an ordinary soldier possibly row a ten Zhangs large boat located within the region of the Nine Rhythm Treacherous Current equipped with only two oars?

“F**k his mother, that’s so troublesome.” The high-ranking officer frowned; he immediately faced the surrounding people and shouted, “Brothers, quickly find some ropes and exert effort to pull the large boat to the barrack together. This time, we’ll give half of the treasures to the higher ups, and share the rest within all of us!

“Alright!”

The soldiers was filled with excitement as if they were calves. Some of them boarded the boat to find ropes, some tore fishnets apart, and others went to nearby fishermen to demand ropes. Anyway, everyone was coming up with different methods.

Right at this moment——

“Everyone, what are you guys doing?” A sudden clear and bright laughter was heard, as if it was a greeting from an acquaintance. The voice was as loud as the rumbling of thunder.

Immediately, the high-ranking officer, along with all of the soldiers, turned around to see a young man with stubbly beard and hair draping over his shoulder. He carried two large bags that were one size bigger than the officer himself.

Beside him was a young girl wearing purple clothes walking along. The image of a beast and a goddess standing next to each other stunned everyone.

“Go away! Go away!” a soldier immediately shouted, “The House of General is dealing with something, unrelated people must leave!” Seeing Teng Qingshan and Li Jun approaching, a soldier immediately went forward to push Teng Qingshan away.

“Get lost!” A soldier pushed Teng Qingshan’s chest with his large palm.

“Go away?”

Teng Qingshan took a step forward and suddenly exerted force with his chest; the soldier only felt a gentle yet powerful force spreading from his palm to his arm, and then to his entire body. Soon after——

Hu!

The soldier was sent flying over six or seven Zhang high.

“Splash” he fell into the sea, causing the waves to splash into white foam.

“Second brother!” A soldier with worried eyes was immediately filled with rage as he looked at Teng Qingshan, “You scoundrel!” According to common sense, the kind of power to counter push a person flying six to seven Zhang was definitely enough to kill the person.

Carrying two large bags, Teng Qingshan strided forward.

“Puchi!”

The soldier unsheathed his sword and thrusted toward Teng Qingshan. The sword thrust seemed to have a solemn killing intent brimming. Teng Qingshan simply took a step forward and strangely dodged the thrusting sword. Soon after, Teng Qingshan’s shoulder rammed into the soldier's body, sending the soldier rolling three to four times on the beach.

“Scoundrel!”

“You’re courting death!”

Immediately, the soldiers in the surroundings got angry, and “Clang!” “Clang!” “Clang!” The sounds of the soldiers drawing their sword could be heard consecutively; the few hundred trenchant swords were unsheathed!

“Pu!” Right at this time, a figure surfaced from the sea, spouting a mouthful of water with ecstasy filling his face while yelling, “I didn’t die! Haha, I didn’t die!!!”

The soldier that was sent rolling turned around with his face showing astonishment, “Second Brother, you didn’t die!”

“I am still alive and well, there’s not even a scratch on me!” The soldier in the sea was also surprised. Immediately, the surrounding soldiers were looking at this scene in astonishment as well. Being pushed flying six to seven Zhang high and he was still perfectly fine after that? That was too strange. However, in less than a second, almost all of the soldiers understood.

The man carrying two large bags was actually a genuine exceedingly powerful expert!

At least, his ability to control his power was much better compared to themselves.

“Swoosh!’ Swoosh!”

Teng Qingshan and Li Jun simultaneously leaped after walking a few steps on the beach. Li Jun was also an expert that have reached the peak of the Postliminary Realm, thus, leaping up toward the tungsten wood vessel was not a difficult task.

During the time when the soldiers of the Northern Yan Town’s House of General were momentarily distracted, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun had already boarded the ship.

“What are you guys doing!” some of the valiant soldiers on board of the tungsten wood vessel immediately shouted.

“What am I doing?” Teng Qingshan exerted force from his left foot and opened the cabin door. He then lightly threw the two bags in using Innate True Origin, causing the two bags to spiral as they fell into the cabin. Teng Qingshan then immediately raised his head to look toward the group of people and laughed, “I still haven’t asked what you guys are doing!”

“All of you, leave the boat!” Teng Qingshan walked over.

“You want us to leave the boat?” The group of soldiers widened their eyes.

The eighteen Houses of the Generals could do whatever they want on the Bright Moon Island.

“If I want you to leave, then all of you are leaving!” Teng Qingshan’s body oscillated, directly rushing into the group of ten or so people on the deck with both of his hands brandishing.

Hu! Hu!

Teng Qingshan threw the soldiers one by one into the sea like sandbags. “Stop!” an angry voice roared, “You’re courting death!” The ten or so people were all angry, but being angry was of no use. In merely two breaths worth of time, the ten or so people were all thrown off of the tungsten wood vessel.

“Splash!” “Splash!” “Splash!”

The soldiers fell into the sea one by one, causing the water to plunge.

“What, what are you doing?” the high-ranking officer was filled with anger while shouting in fury, “This treasure boat belongs to our Northern Yan Town’s House of General. You dare to steal it in front of hundreds of soldiers, are you simply courting death?

“Yours?”

Teng Qingshan who was on board of the tungsten wood vessel glanced at them and laughed, “Could the House of General of the Northern Yan Town, one of the eighteen Houses of the Generals possibly be a thief? Judging by your attire, you must be a high-ranking officer…. Saying something like this, doesn’t it make you feel embarrassed? Doesn’t it make you feel ashamed? This boat has become yours. Haha….”

Teng Qingshan’s laughter caused the high-ranking officer’s complexion to turn ugly.

“Quickly release the boat and get out. I’ll forgive this offense! Otherwise, even if you are from the Sword Tower, our House of General would still have the rights to execute you.

Each of the hundreds of soldiers holding a trenchant sword were coldly staring at Teng Qingshan on board of the ship.

Suddenly, a clear and pleasant voice echoed out, “Big Brother Teng, the Iron Leaf Fruits aren’t in the cabin, they’re all gone!”

“Iron Leaf Fruit?”

The hundreds of soldiers were slightly startled.

The young man with stubbly beard and hair draping over his shoulder was seen laughing loudly on the bow of the tungsten wood vessel. His body shot off like an arrow, breaking through the air as he flew over. This leap crossed nearly thirty Zhang, from the tungsten wood vessel directly into the group of the soldiers on the beach.

“Release it!” Teng Qingshan snatched the fish net filed with Iron Leaf Fruits from the hands of the soldiers who were carrying it.

“You——” The high ranking officer’s complexion turned ashen.

“The one with his complexion changed.” Teng Qingshan looked over. “Stop putting on airs and give me the two Iron Leaf Fruits in your hands!”