Chapter 173: I Have Reformed

The passengers on the ship erupted into chaos. The boatman, a powerful individual with extraordinary abilities, was busy steering the longship and couldn't attend to everyone.

Three Wonders Fortress was renowned for its 'Three Wonders': insects, medicine, and beauties. The women of Three Wonders Fortress were exceptionally beautiful, with Imperial Consort Che in the palace being a prime example. The fortress was also highly skilled in medicine, boasting many famous doctors who specialized in using 'gu' to treat diseases.

And ranking first among the three wonders was insects.

The insect army of Three Wonders Fortress was truly formidable. Those adept in medicine were often equally skilled in poisons, and the fortress's venomous insects were legendary. After the imperial court assimilated them, the Emperor commanded Three Wonders Fortress to establish an insect army, primarily composed of masters skilled in insect manipulation.

Now, Three Wonders Fortress had rebelled, and their insect army had clearly joined the revolt. This battlefield was where the imperial forces clashed with the insect army of Three Wonders Fortress.

They had inadvertently stumbled into the battlefield and were now under attack by the insect army of Three Wonders Fortress. Their situation looked dire.

"These insects are impossible to defend against!" exclaimed Qin Mu. "My Young Protector Sword can't handle such a multitude!"

Qin Mu's scalp tingled as countless shimmering golden insects swarmed towards him. He immediately split his focus: his Young Protector Sword darted towards one of the soldiers, while his vital qi erupted from his hands in countless hair-thin threads, forming a fiery red sphere like a miniature sun.

These vital qi threads were actually composed of countless incredibly fine vital qi swords. They now transformed into a "Setting Sun," humming as they hovered in the air.

This was the Setting Sun Sword Technique from the Yu Yuan National Academy.

The fiery sphere spun rapidly, unleashing countless streaks of sword light. Each sword pierced a golden insect, and in an instant, the ground around Qin Mu was covered in insect corpses.

Simultaneously, his Young Protector Sword flashed, piercing through a soldier's chest and then swiftly retracting, striking the soldier down.

"Good swordplay!"

The boatman praised him, then instructed his first mate to take the helm. Freeing his hands, he produced a fire gourd. Upon opening it, a fiery cloud surged out, morphing into a nine-headed fire phoenix. It opened its nine mouths, unleashing torrents of blazing fire that incinerated countless insects.

The nine-headed fire phoenix unfurled its wings, engulfing the longship. It unleashed streams of fire, instantly incinerating several Three Wonders Fortress soldiers before they could even draw near.

"This boatman's cultivation is incredibly profound," Qin Mu thought, "no less than Young General Qin Feiyue!"

Qin Mu's heart stirred. The boatman was a burly middle-aged man, but his fire-based divine ability was indeed extraordinary; he was likely a powerful expert of the Seven-Star Realm.

Just then, a terrifying golden insect tide surged like a tidal wave. A woman dressed as a general stood within the swarm. She pointed a finger, and the insect tide roared forward, rushing towards the longship.

"The second wonder of Three Wonders Fortress, the girls are indeed beautiful."

The boatman chuckled. The nine-headed fire phoenix instantly vanished back into the fire gourd. The gourd then grew larger and larger, transforming into a colossal object three to five people tall. Its mouth pointed downwards, emitting a terrifying suction force that sucked in the surging insect tide.

The boatman formed hand seals, striking the fire gourd repeatedly with dozens of rapid imprints. Around the massive gourd, an array of magnificent runes materialized in the air, lighting up sequentially before fading and disappearing.

The insect tide inside the gourd was immediately refined into ash.

Qin Mu's eyes brightened. "Cultivation is akin to scholarship," he realized. "This boatman possesses profound knowledge of rune-based seal arts."

The female general from Three Wonders Fortress was startled. The insect tide beneath her feet halted as she hovered in the air. Blinking her beautiful eyes, she asked, "You are... Fire Bandit Fan Yunxiao? When did you go straight and become a boatman?"

The merchants on the ship turned pale with shock, and even the officials' expressions drastically changed. They all conjured their swords with vital qi, pointing them accusingly at the boatman.

The boatman spat twice. "What do you mean, 'went straight'?" he scoffed.

The female general of Three Wonders Fortress sneered, "I heard you were expelled from the Daoist Sect for your wicked heart, and then you became a bandit, preying on merchants everywhere. The imperial court has been after you for ages. Now that you're a boatman, aren't you 'going straight'?"

The boatman, Fan Yunxiao, chuckled. "I was a bandit and robbed during times of peace, but in an era of chaos, how can one still be a bandit? In turbulent times, being a boatman earns money much faster than robbing. General, perhaps you could grant us safe passage?"

The female general of Three Wonders Fortress snorted coldly and surveyed her surroundings. The Three Wonders insect army was still locked in battle with the imperial soldiers. Engaging this bandit now would be both difficult and unproductive.

Furthermore, despite being a discarded Daoist disciple, Fan Yunxiao possessed exceptionally high abilities; the imperial court had tried to capture him for years without success, and she might not be his match. With a swirl of insects, her figure drifted backward.

Fan Yunxiao sighed in relief, ordering his first mate to propel the longship away.

The merchants on the ship stared at the burly man, their eyes wide with terror. Fan Yunxiao quickly reassured them, "Everyone, please set your minds at ease. I've gone straight; I don't rob during times of chaos. And honorable officials, rest assured, I've reformed. This ship is even registered in the capital!"

An official sneered, "Boss Fan, could this ship of yours be the infamous 'Cloud Chasing Pirate Ship' from your days as a bandit?"

"Just a jest, just a jest," Fan Yunxiao replied. "The Cloud Chasing Pirate Ship has been renamed to the Cloud Chasing Passenger Ship. When peace returns to the world, then I'll resume robbing."

Fan Yunxiao walked over to the merchant, whose body had been devoured by insects, leaving only his skin. He frowned and said, "You took my ship, and I should have protected you thoroughly. However, since you suffered this misfortune, I cannot accept your fare." With that, he took out a money bag and handed it to the merchant's attendant.

The passengers on the ship trembled with fear, feeling as though they had just escaped a wolf's den only to enter a tiger's lair. Fan Yunxiao had terrorized merchant caravans for years, plundering relentlessly, and now that they were on his ship, they feared their fate was sealed.

"I've gone straight!"

Fan Yunxiao bowed repeatedly, assuring them, "I truly have reformed! Rest assured, I will absolutely deliver you to the capital."

Everyone still looked terrified.

Helpless, Fan Yunxiao looked at Qin Mu and smiled. "Young man, your swordplay isn't bad. Are you from the Yu Yuan family?"

Qin Mu shook his head. "Qin Mu from the Grand Academy," he replied. "Senior Brother Fan, your knowledge is truly profound; it's admirable."

Fan Yunxiao's eyes lit up. "It's the first time anyone has complimented my knowledge," he chuckled. "Your discernment isn't bad. It's ridiculous how many people just blindly cultivate without understanding the importance of scholarship. They don't realize that cultivation itself is scholarship, and the profound techniques of the Daoist Sect are all built upon knowledge. Without it, you can't learn a thing."

Qin Mu deeply resonated with this sentiment. Learning teleportation divine abilities required immense knowledge, as did mastering the Daoist swords of the Daoist Sect. Fan Yunxiao's recent seal arts, with their intricate rune transformations, were impossible to execute without profound scholarship.

"If you were to join the Daoist Sect instead of the Grand Academy," Fan Yunxiao mused, "that old Daoist Master would surely take a great liking to you."

Recalling the past, Fan Yunxiao said gloomily, "I still don't know which eye the old master used to see that I had a wicked heart. I was clearly very well-behaved when I was in the Daoist Sect."

Qin Mu coughed. "Senior Brother Fan, were you expelled and then became a bandit?"

Fan Yunxiao clapped his hands loudly, praising, "That old master truly is brilliant! He foresaw that I would become a bandit and expelled me to become one! But I was still very well-behaved in the Daoist Sect; how did he figure it out...?"

Qin Mu was speechless. Then, remembering something, he asked, "Senior Brother Fan, how are your mathematical arts?"

Fan Yunxiao looked dejected. "They were very good originally," he said, "but in recent years, since I became a bandit, I've essentially returned all that knowledge to the Daoist Master. The 'Profound Maiden Calculation Sutra' and 'Grand Profound Calculation Sutra' in the Daoist Sect are both extremely profound and difficult to master. If one could learn them all, they could then learn the fourteen chapters of Daoist Sword Arts. I had originally cultivated to..."

Suddenly, a head popped out from below deck, shouting, "Boss, our furnace is malfunctioning! That woman from Three Wonders Fortress, when we weren't looking, put some insects into our alchemical furnace, and they've gnawed it to pieces!"

"I've told you several times," Fan Yunxiao snapped, "don't call me Great King! I've gone straight!"

Fan Yunxiao scratched his head, scanning the surroundings. "Everyone," he asked, "does anyone here know artifact refinement and can repair the alchemical furnace?"

Just then, a muffled boom echoed from the cabin. Several alchemists crawled out, their faces singed and blackened. "The alchemical furnace exploded!" they exclaimed.

Fan Yunxiao's face instantly paled. "That damned woman, secretly plotting against us!" he cursed. "Abandon ship, everyone jump!"

Qin Mu stepped forward. "I understand artifact refinement and have studied the Way of Pills," he said. "Let me take a look first."

Fan Yunxiao, half-believing and half-doubting, followed Qin Mu into the cabin. The cabin was already ablaze, and several burly bandits with grim faces were battling the fire, having managed to suppress most of the flames. However, without the medicinal energy provided by the alchemical furnace, the longship's speed had begun to slow, and it could plummet from the sky at any moment.

Qin Mu approached, examining the shattered alchemical furnace. This was a standardized type, distinct from common pill cauldrons. Yan Kang Nation had shipyards where countless blacksmiths toiled day and night, forging these specialized furnaces to power their longships.

Such furnaces burned spirit stones and dozens of medicinal herbs, converting their latent energy into powerful currents. This energy was then channeled through pipes to the bronze beasts at the stern, where it erupted from their mouths as roaring flames, propelling the ship skyward.

The furnace's design was incredibly intricate, a wondrous artifact created by the master craftsmen of the Grand Academy. Beyond its alchemical functions, it housed a complex system akin to a human digestive tract, transforming medicinal energy into raw power.

Normally, if such a furnace broke, it could only be repaired by blacksmiths from the Yan Kang Nation's shipyards or replaced entirely.

"Can it still be repaired?" Fan Yunxiao asked nervously.

Qin Mu examined the furnace's structure and felt confident. "I studied blacksmithing for a few years," he said. "I can forge a new one in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. How much longer can this ship hold out?"

"If we support it with our vital qi," Fan Yunxiao replied, "it can last for the duration of one incense stick."

Qin Mu immediately began recasting the alchemical furnace. With Vermilion Bird vital qi in one hand and Black Tortoise vital qi in the other, he levitated countless furnace fragments. He used the Vermilion Bird qi to refine and melt them into molten metal, while simultaneously using the Black Tortoise qi to cool them, rapidly forging individual furnace components.

Everyone watched in dazzled amazement. Suddenly, the longship gently jolted and began to descend. Fan Yunxiao, without sparing a glance at Qin Mu forging the furnace, rushed out of the cabin. He activated his fire gourd, which transformed into a nine-headed phoenix, supporting the longship from below.

Although he was a powerful expert of the Seven-Star Realm with formidable vital qi, supporting and flying with the entire longship was still incredibly strenuous.

As time ticked by, Fan Yunxiao's face turned red, the immense pressure making it increasingly difficult for him to sustain the effort. The passengers on board were terrified. If Fan Yunxiao failed to hold on, the longship would surely plummet from a thousand-zhang height, smashing them to smithereens!

Fan Yunxiao had reached his limit and could no longer hold on. Suddenly, the two bronze beasts at the stern erupted with fire from their mouths. The flames surged, and the longship vibrated violently, accelerating forward.

Fan Yunxiao sighed in relief and retracted his nine-headed phoenix. He then watched as the longship accelerated, moving with a fleeting speed that was three to five times faster than before!

As he stood there in astonished disbelief, he spotted Qin Mu emerging from the cabin and quickly asked, "Little Brother Qin, what kind of furnace did you forge?"

Qin Mu replied, "I haven't seen the structural blueprint for the alchemical furnace, so I forged it based on my own understanding. It might be different from the original design. I only studied blacksmithing for a few years..."

Before Fan Yunxiao could utter another word, a thunderous boom echoed as the longship broke through the sound barrier, moving faster than sound itself!

"Little Brother Qin, who did you learn your blacksmithing from?"

Fan Yunxiao was both astonished and overjoyed. "From now on," he exclaimed, "when I go robbing, who will be able to catch me?"

Qin Mu now understood why the Daoist Master of the Daoist Sect said he had a wicked heart.