Chapter 921: Respectful Toast Refused, Punishment Drink Accepted

Although He Lingchuan couldn't see clearly, he was certain that Qiu Hu's spirit, or rather, his demon spirit, was most likely a lion or tiger. Otherwise, humans would find it very difficult to master a divine ability resembling a "lion's roar."

The sorcerer was also ambushed by Wang Fubao, who knocked him unconscious with a blow to the back of his head from a knife hilt.

Of Min Tianxi's thirty-four subordinates, only thirteen or fourteen were still standing in the blink of an eye.

Blood flowed onto the Fishbone Reef, staining the nearby seawater red.

This fellow, surnamed He, truly showed no mercy!

Two pirates tried to rush forward to save their master, but they were both cut down by Xiang Lian, a Rongshan clansman standing behind He Lingchuan. He Lingchuan subtly raised his chin towards him, and Xiang Lian understood, placing his blade against Min Tianxi's neck.

The blood on the blade dripped down Min Tianxi's neck.

He Lingchuan picked up the silver coin from the ground, crumpled it into a ball, and half-squatted in front of Min Tianxi:

"I'll give you a chance to say it again: whose fist is harder?"

With each word he spoke, he struck Min Tianxi's face with the silver ball.

By the time he finished the twelve words, Min Tianxi had been struck twelve times in the face.

Just moments ago, Min Tianxi had crushed the wine goblet to humiliate him; now He Lingchuan was truly giving him a taste of his own medicine, literally hitting him in the face.

Even though silver is soft, with He Lingchuan's true energy behind it, it still drew blood profusely.

Min Tianxi's face was bruised and swollen, his eyes were almost shut, and he had lost a tooth.

The silver lump was already deformed and covered in blood. He Lingchuan tucked it into Min Tianxi's collar, patting it twice lightly: "Consider it a gift from me later."

Min Tianxi, however, was still a tough man; he wouldn't yield even if his teeth were ground to dust.

Though his face hurt, it was nothing compared to the agony in his internal organs.

He Lingchuan then chuckled, "Besides staying or leaving, there's actually a third option: throwing you into the sea to feed the fish! A-Hu—"

He pointed to a spot not far away.

Min Tianxi had only brought thirty-odd subordinates ashore from his ship. It wasn't that he didn't want to bring more, but there wasn't enough space on Fishbone Reef for additional people.

Seeing their comrades at a disadvantage, sixty to seventy bandits on the ship yelled and jumped overboard.

On He Lingchuan's side, the Rongshan disciples who had remained on the ship also rushed to support, but even combined, they were only ten people.

Qiu Hu understood and made a gesture to Lu Qiuwei, who immediately formed a hand seal and shouted, "Wind, come!"

Whoosh, a strong gust of wind swept through, from west to east, blowing from He Lingchuan towards the pirate ship opposite.

Qiu Hu, meanwhile, took a white jade purity vase from his bosom, dipped a willow branch into dew, and sprinkled it forward—

The water droplets, carried by the wind, split into a thin, pale golden mist, so fine it was almost invisible in the bright daylight.

As soon as the charging pirates were touched by it, they dropped to their knees with a thud, their limbs scrambling uselessly on the ground, unable to move an inch.

The living men had been reduced to squirming maggots.

What Qiu Hu had produced was the Rongshan Sect's treasure, the "Thousand-Jin Bottle." The mist emanating from it would immediately impose a weight of a thousand jin on any living creature it touched.

Most people would be pressed down, unable to lift their heads. Rongshan had used it previously against the Seventy-Year Cicadas.

Of course, this item wasn't as effective on a true battlefield; it could be blocked by protective energy shields and its effects greatly reduced by primal energy.

But for Qiu Hu to use it against pirates, it was perfectly suited.

Naturally, a few bandits reacted quickly, promptly activating their protective energy shields and avoiding being pinned down. However, the Rongshan disciples surrounded them, wielding swords, spears, and staves, thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of overwhelming the outnumbered.

Thus, these stronger individuals actually died the fastest.

Min Tianxi watched this scene from the ground, his heart bleeding, and could only cry out, "Stop! St-stop!"

All the men he had brought today were elites, his most trusted confidants. If they all died here, what leverage and prestige would he have left within the pirate crew?

His throat felt nearly scorched, and his cheeks were swollen; the words that burst forth were hoarse and rough, almost drowned out by the curses and screams.

He Lingchuan cupped a hand to his ear, leaning closer to Min Tianxi. "What did you say? I can't hear you!"

"Stop, I said stop!"

"Can't hear you. A-Hu—" He Lingchuan regretfully shook his head, gesturing to Qiu Hu, "Kill them all, leave no one alive!"

Without a word, Qiu Hu struck a prostrate bandit with his staff, splattering his brains.

Unable to move, these pirates were much easier to dispatch than the Seventy-Year Cicadas. He struck them down one after another with his staff...

The other Rongshan disciples were also having a field day, slaughtering with relish.

"Stop, stop!" Min Tianxi shouted twice. When he looked up and saw He Lingchuan's smiling face, he truly felt this fellow was more terrifying than a blue-faced, fanged demon.

The screams of his subordinates rose and fell.

Min Tianxi closed his eyes and said with difficulty, "I surrender, I am willing to surrender!"

"Oh?" He Lingchuan heard him this time, bending down. "Who did you say was surrendering?"

Min Tianxi hesitated for just a moment, and then two more screams came from nearby—those were from his closest cronies who usually flattered him the most.

The blade tapped his cheek: "Answer quickly, or all your men will be dead."

"We surrender, we surrender!" Min Tianxi blurted out, the rest of his words flowing more smoothly. "We, Second Way, are willing to pledge allegiance to Young Master He and serve him like dogs and horses!"

He Lingchuan pressed, "Even to the point of spilling your guts?"

In the background, two more bandits were stabbed to death, letting out prolonged screams before they died.

Min Tianxi knew full well that this He fellow intended to kill a few more men to torment him with fear, but he still subconsciously swallowed:

"Even to the point of spilling our guts! If Young Master He tells us to go east, we wouldn't dare go west!"

"There, that's better, isn't it?" He Lingchuan patted his face again. "I never intended to make things difficult for you."

Two more bandits died.

Min Tianxi's eyes were bloodshot. "Young Master He!"

"Oh, yes, I forgot," He Lingchuan said, turning back to call to Qiu Hu to stop. "Alright, alright, no more killing."

At his command, the Rongshan disciples immediately ceased fighting.

He Lingchuan personally helped Min Tianxi up from the ground, sighing, "I've always believed in civility before force. If you had recognized the situation earlier, your Second Way brothers wouldn't have had to suffer so much, right?"

"..." Min Tianxi felt bile rising in his stomach, but could only say hoarsely, "Yes, yes."

With the overwhelming power of his victory, whatever He Lingchuan said, Min Tianxi could only agree.

Min Tianxi's eyes flickered, but He Lingchuan still saw through the fear in them, and only then smiled with satisfaction: "Let them stand up."

To communicate with pirates, one must speak in a way they understand. If they don't understand, make them understand.

Qiu Hu and the others acknowledged, took buckets from their storage rings, and quickly filled them with seawater, which they poured over the bandits.

The solution for the Thousand-Jin Bottle was simple: just remove the water droplets that weighed them down.

The bandits who struggled to their feet bowed their heads, their former arrogance completely gone. They looked at their Second Way Master, now in enemy hands, and then took the buckets to help free their comrades.

With over sixty people, rescuing them would be too slow.

He Lingchuan pointed to his own ship. "Master Min, come aboard my ship and have a seat. I'll have you back here before dark."

Could Min Tianxi possibly say no?

He Lingchuan then casually selected seven bandits whose limbs were still intact, tied their hands, and brought them aboard the ship as well.

The ship raised its anchor, set its sails, changed direction, and quickly sailed away from Fishbone Reef.

Min Tianxi watched helplessly as his subordinates on the beach grew smaller and smaller in the distance, his heart sinking in despair.

Even if these subordinates were still there, they couldn't give him any sense of security.

He Lingchuan reached out and pressed his hand on the back of Min Tianxi's neck a few times. Min Tianxi's pain was greatly alleviated; it no longer felt like burning.

He let out a long sigh of relief, finally relaxing.

That kind of pain was simply torture to the soul.

After He Lingchuan used a venom sac to draw out the spider venom from Min Tianxi's body, he handed him a white cloth, pointing to his face: "It's too dirty, wipe it."

"Th-thank you," Min Tianxi said, a level of politeness he hadn't shown anyone in a long time. He took the cloth with both hands and wiped his face.

The white cloth was soft, but every touch brought a sharp sting.

When he lowered the cloth, he saw it was covered in blood.

Xiang Lian brought over a table and two chairs, then placed a pot and two cups on the table.

This time, Min Tianxi was very obedient to He Lingchuan. He sat down docilely and picked up the wine to drink.

The injuries from the spider venom hadn't healed, and his mouth and tongue were raw from biting himself. As he drank the wine, his entire mouth felt like it was being pricked by needles.

Sweat broke out on Min Tianxi's forehead again.

But he still forced himself to swallow the wine, because he understood that Young Master He was telling him:

Refuse the toast, and you'll drink the penalty.

Indeed, after he swallowed the drink, He Lingchuan's expression softened considerably: "Min Tianxi, why didn't the Yin Hui attack you?"

Among the three pirate groups on the outer perimeter of the archipelago, the other two had been attacked by the Yin Hui and suffered heavy casualties. Only the Second Way pirates had not been attacked at all. Interesting.

"Our camp is farther from Dragon's Back Island, they couldn't reach us..." Min Tianxi said. At this point, he saw He Lingchuan smile again.

Now, every time this young master smiled, a chill ran down his spine.

He Lingchuan swirled his wine glass, then lowered his head and took a sip. "Are you sure you want to use that excuse to fob me off?"

Remembering He Lingchuan's brutal methods, Min Tianxi swallowed hard. "That night, I led my men to the northwest mainland for a deal, coincidentally avoiding the Yin Hui's attack."

Emphasizing "coincidence."

He Lingchuan's gaze sharpened slightly. "You sent out all your forces?"

"Yes."

"You left no one to guard your main base?" He Lingchuan looked at him, smiling. "Renee said not a single one of you was harmed."

"What does that young girl know? Two men who stayed to guard the fort were also lost, it just wasn't publicly announced," Min Tianxi whispered. "Compared to the losses of First Way and Third Way, mine are nothing."

"So, it was a coincidence, then?"

"Yes, it was," Min Tianxi said, looking directly into He Lingchuan's eyes, appearing exceptionally frank.

He Lingchuan smiled at him. "Good." Then he turned to another pirate and asked, "Is what your leader said true or false?"

He was a head taller than the pirate, and looking down from such a height immediately put immense pressure on the man, who swallowed before replying, "It's true, it's true."

He Lingchuan's face darkened. Qiu Hu, standing nearby, moved like the wind and twisted the captive's neck, breaking it.

A crisp "crack" of bone sent shivers down the necks of the other pirates.

Min Tianxi's face changed; it was clear the other party didn't believe him. "Young Master He!"

He Lingchuan ignored him and walked over to another bandit, saying nothing, simply staring fixedly at him.

The man's face turned pale under He Lingchuan's gaze, veins throbbing at his temples. Suddenly, he shouted, "If you want to kill me, just kill me! I'm not playing your games..."

Before he could finish, Qiu Hu twisted his neck again with a crack.

Who said that being tough means you'll survive till the end?