Chapter 679: Leaving

"Sister, can you come out for a moment? There's something I want to ask you." Standing on the platform built on the sea, Yang Xiaohai called out to the wooden boat moored there.

When Yang Xiaohai saw his eldest sister emerge, he led her a little further away. Feigning hesitation for a moment, he finally asked, "Sister, do you still need people?"

"What? Trouble with your dad? Want to come with me? You're not a child anymore; don't act like one."

Yang Xiaohai remained silent, watching the monkeys carry several stones into the boat's canopy to exchange for silver.

It was clear they were skilled at this; they moved swiftly and silently.

After scolding Yang Xiaohai with the air of an elder sister, she continued, "You can come, but you must kowtow and apologize to your dad. I know you're upset, but no matter how harsh his words, he is your father after all."

"As soon as your dad's anger subsides, I'll take you with me. You're my brother, and even if you can't be an official for now, I can find you some other work to do."

"Don't turn your nose up at it. Our Li Kingdom is fighting the Later Shu, but everyone can see that Later Shu is failing. Once we win a great victory, you'll have earned some credit."

When he saw the monkey children leave with the silver, Yang Xiaohai feigned obedience, nodding before walking towards his own boat.

Inside the cabin, upon seeing the silver in the monkey child's arms, Yang Xiaohai breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Alright! Quick, pack up! We're leaving now!"

There wasn't much to pack, as everything else had already been sold by Chi Baishui.

Under the cover of night, Yang Xiaohai, along with four others, each carrying some silver, stealthily made their way towards the shore. It wasn't a smooth journey.

But no matter who was awakened, the Rotten Wood Ruyi always managed to quiet them down. By the time they turned around, Yang Xiaohai was long gone, and they all thought it was just their own delusion or a dream.

Finally, they left the wooden houses built on the sea without further incident. Yang Xiaohai and his companions jogged along a small path, heading inland.

Though he was tired and the night was cold, Yang Xiaohai felt alive again. He was going home! Back to his true home!

"Husband! Let's rest. The monkey child can't keep up." Hearing the voice behind him, Yang Xiaohai turned to see the monkey child, carrying the silver, panting with exhaustion.

Without a carriage, and the silver being heavy, running was naturally tiring. Glancing at the deserted dirt road, Yang Xiaohai reached out and stacked the monkey child's silver on top of his own. "Alright, let's rest for a bit, but we can't sleep. Bashu and that Li Kingdom are at war. We need to hurry back to Qingqiu."

As Yang Xiaohai and his companions sat by the roadside, breathing heavily, he suddenly saw torches light up on the road by the sea, forming a long line of fire.

"Oh no! They're awake!" Yang Xiaohai grabbed the silver and was about to run again, but there were also torches on the road ahead. He was surrounded!

With nowhere to escape, Yang Xiaohai quickly recognized the faces holding the torches: they were his Tanka relatives, led by his own father.

This wasn't much of a surprise, but when Yang Xiaohai saw his mother standing beside his father, her eyes shifty, his head felt as if it had been struck by a hammer.

Being caught trying to escape wasn't a big deal, but he never imagined it would be his own mother who betrayed him—the very mother who had always been so kind to him!

"Good! Very good! You want to run, do you?! And you want to run with the silver!" Chi Baishui looked extraordinarily furious, his face flushed, veins bulging on his forehead.

Among the crowd, his eldest sister's face was also ashen. She realized that Yang Xiaohai had called her out earlier just to trick her into retrieving the silver.

"Damn it, beat him hard! Don't hold back, if he dies, it's on me!" As Chi Baishui spoke, Yang Xiaohai watched his elder brothers, accompanied by a group of young men, roll up their sleeves and approach him.

"Get lost!" In a burst of anger, Yang Xiaohai swung the Rotten Wood Ruyi in his hand. The group of men instantly froze in place, their faces blank with confusion.

This scene instantly scared the surrounding Tanka people, who stumbled back several steps, watching the object in his hand in shock.

"What's that? What is that?"

"It's a soul-reaper, isn't it? Chi Family's Fifth Child can reap souls!"

As discussions erupted, Yang Xiaohai's eldest sister suddenly exclaimed with delight, "It's a magic artifact! It's a soul-reaping artifact! It's a treasure!"

"The County Magistrate said that if you hand this in, you can at least get an eighth-rank official position! And the better the artifact, the better the official position you can get!"

At these words, everyone's eyes blazed with excitement, and murmurs broke out.

Seeing that these people were not scared, but rather excited, Yang Xiaohai immediately knew things had gone wrong.

"Everyone follow me! We'll charge into the woods! Once in the woods, scatter and run! Every person who escapes is a victory!" Yang Xiaohai finished, then swung the Ruyi forcefully towards the crowd on his left, and their eyes grew confused. "Go!"

Yang Xiaohai led his companions swiftly through the confused crowd, pushing forward.

As Yang Xiaohai continuously swung the Ruyi in his hand, large groups of Tanka people fell into a daze. But just as they were about to break through the encirclement, a cold flash of light came from the left.

A barbed fish spear flew over instantly, piercing the back of Yang Xiaohai's hand holding the Rotten Wood Ruyi.

Under intense pain, the Rotten Wood Ruyi instantly slipped from his grasp and fell nearby.

Enduring the pain, Yang Xiaohai was about to go pick it up when another fish spear flew over, pinning his left foot to the ground.

Chi Baishui triumphantly picked up the Rotten Wood Ruyi and approached Yang Xiaohai. Seeing him glaring back with a face full of anger, he slapped him directly. "You had such a good thing, and you kept it hidden!"

"Husband!" Zhao Xiumei shielded Yang Xiaohai, looking at Chi Baishui in despair. "Father, we're all family. There's no need for this."

"Family? Who's family with you!" Chi Baishui slapped Zhao Xiumei across the face.

Seeing Yang Xiaohai endure the pain to shield Zhao Xiumei behind him, Chi Baishui sneered, "Fifth Child, your wife is really something. She'll probably sell for a good price. A young wife sells much better than a child."

"What are you doing?!" Yang Xiaohai looked at him with a murderous gaze.

"Oh, look at you! Acting all wronged! Look at what you've done! Tricked your mother! Tricked your father! Stole the family's silver! And hid a good treasure without telling your family! Are you even human?!"

"Xiaohai?" An unfamiliar voice interrupted their conversation.

Everyone present turned towards the sound, and they saw a Daoist priest wearing a red robe and carrying three swords on his back, pushing his way through the crowd.

Li Huowang walked up to Yang Xiaohai, looked at his bleeding hand and foot, the Rotten Wood Ruyi in Chi Baishui's hand, and the black cloth on his eldest sister's shoulder, and understood something instantly.

"You're his friend?" Chi Baishui asked dismissively, then rudely pushed Li Huowang aside.

"You're a grown man, still hanging around with a child. Aren't you ashamed? Get lost! This is our family matter. What are you, an outsider, interfering for?"

Li Huowang looked him up and down, his right hand reaching behind him to grasp the hilt of the Purple Tassel Sword. He said, word by word, "Who the hell are you?"

*Whoosh!* With a flash of cold light, Chi Baishui's stunned head flew into the air.