嫩草影院地址一二三

Chapter 423: 423. You guys go first

Standing at the bow of the ship, Qiao Jing couldn’t help but exclaim, “Min Rou was right, the most beautiful thing about Xingluo Island is the starry sky. I must say, it’s really true.”

Gu Ling narrowed her eyes, looking at the island appearing in their sight. It was pitch-black, making it difficult to see anything, resembling a dormant lion lying on the sea.

In the mainland, if you stand at a high point, you can also see the same beautiful starry sky… Gu Ling didn’t want to spoil the mood, so she didn’t say it out loud.

“Where shall we stop?” Qiao Jing asked. According to the plan, they wouldn’t get too close to Xingluo Island. Their main goal would be reached through negotiation.

Gu Ling estimated the distance, “Wake everyone up, speed up and prepare the catapults. Throw the explosives first, and remember the positions.”

Qiao Jing’s expression sharpened, “Alright! If they don’t release the hostages, we’ll set fire!” Just as he was about to make arrangements, he reminded Gu Ling not to show her face, reveal her identity, or rashly board Xingluo Island. If she really wanted to go, they would go together.

Gu Ling nodded, “Understood.”

Qiao Jing patted Gu Ling’s shoulder, “If you dare to mess around, we’re done.” With that said, he went off to make arrangements.

The soldiers brought along were all elites and the best archers from the southern army of the former Qian Country. The daily training they had undergone during the journey was arranged by Gu Ling. Due to the limitations on the ship, the intensity was not very high, but they were all eager to act. At the order, they quickly prepared themselves.

Qiao Jing held the map of Xingluo Island and its surroundings, drawn by Gu Ling based on Min Rou’s description. The positions of each ship, where to throw the explosives, and how far to throw them were all pre-designed by Gu Ling. All they needed to do was execute it carefully.

After the deployment was completed, the ten ships quickly dispersed, heading towards their respective positions.

Other than Qiao Jing lighting a lamp when making arrangements with the map, there had been very little open flame on the ship. Now, the lights were extinguished, leaving everything in complete darkness. Firstly, this was to avoid being discovered by the guards on Xingluo Island, and secondly, the ship was carrying a large number of flammable and explosive materials, making fire dangerous.

Originally, Min Rou accidentally acquired the sea chart of Xingluo Island and informed Gu Ling and Su Liang. The people on the island didn’t know about this.

However, as Lao Mu and Cen Man arrived on Xingluo Island and were most likely captured, the people on the island naturally came to know that their position had been exposed.

It was because Gu Ling believed that the island had some special features that made Mo Yan stay there all this time. Otherwise, she would have suspected that the people on the island had already left.

In the darkest hour before dawn, all ten ships reached their designated positions, set up their catapults, and aimed at their targets.

Qiao Jing stood at the bow of the ship, feeling the cool sea breeze. He thought that if there were guards patrolling the coastal area of Xingluo Island at night, they would soon notice their ships.

Qiao Jing sent a silent signal flare into the sky. The next moment, all ten ships launched black “stones” that drew almost identical parabolas in the air, landing on the island.

The first wave, second wave, third wave… Each ship threw five times, scattering the explosives across various locations on the island. Though they couldn’t reach the center of the island, the explosions would be enough to turn the once beautiful, tree-covered Xingluo Island into a fiery inferno.

The ship carrying Qiao Jing and Gu Ling was facing the island’s exit water dock, where many big and small ships were anchored.

“How have we not been discovered yet?” Qiao Jing found it strange, “Have the people on the island evacuated already?”

Gu Ling shook her head slightly, “They won’t leave so easily. They might have set traps or formations, not fearing intruders.”

Qiao Jing nodded, “That’s also possible. Maybe Lao Mu and Cen Man were trapped on the island when they arrived. That’s why you definitely can’t go.”

Gu Ling’s tone was melancholic, “Stop worrying.” It seemed Qiao Jing had almost inscribed the words “I am your cousin, and I am concerned for your well-being” on his forehead.

“When do we take action? Shall we wait for them to discover us?” Qiao Jing asked.

Gu Ling took out a round object from her bosom, “Let’s give them a greeting.”

Qiao Jing’s gaze followed the black ball as it flew across the sky before the dawn, looking like a small rock, crashing towards the dock of Xingluo Island.

But it wasn’t a small rock. With a thunderous boom, the dock of Xingluo Island was destroyed within their sight. Most of the ships originally anchored around the dock were not completely destroyed, but they broke free from the land’s control and scattered with the tides.

Qiao Jing’s lips curled into a slight smile, approving of this way of greeting.

As long as there were people on Xingluo Island, they would appear soon.

The horizon turned the color of a fish’s belly, with the morning glow casting a colorful light over the sea.

At last, figures appeared on the shore, near the demolished dock.

Qiao Jing gave an order, and his ship moved forward a bit, making it easier to talk.

As they got slightly closer, they saw eleven people standing on the shore. The leader wore a half-face mask – it was He Wei, the man who almost blew himself up outside the capital city.

He Wei held hostage Lao Mu in his hands.

Lao Mu’s hands and feet were chained, his eyes covered with a black cloth and his mouth gagged. He was still wearing the same clothes as when he left home. He didn’t know what had happened, but he guessed that his people had arrived. He wanted to speak but could only utter muffled sounds.

Someone spoke to He Wei, who then asked, “Qiao Jing? Did Gu Ling send you?”

At this moment, Qiao Jing thought of Sheng Yue, who he had been worried about the whole time. Where was Sheng Yue? Was it because he was injured? Or had he not returned yet? If Sheng Yue hadn’t returned by now…

Qiao Jing’s eyes flickered, “Gu Ling didn’t send me, but I’m here for him!”

He Wei frowned as he heard Qiao Jing say, “Sheng Yue captured Gu Ling. Hasn’t he returned yet?”

He Wei’s face changed instantly.

Seeing their reaction, Qiao Jing inferred that Sheng Yue truly hadn’t returned.

At this moment, inside the ship’s cabin, Gu Ling’s heart sank a bit. Sheng Yue still hadn’t returned? Otherwise, He Wei would immediately refute Qiao Jing’s words. With Sheng Yue’s abilities, even having lost one hand, he could still return faster than them. Was it possible that he had gone somewhere else…

For the time being, Qiao Jing didn’t think too much about it. He just intended to continue lying, “He Wei? If you don’t want your entire island to be blown up, release all of our people now! Gu Ling, Lao Mu, Cen Man, Ying Ying, Ying Ye, and Master Mo Fei.”

He Wei scoffed coldly, “Ignorant fool, so arrogant!” With that, he drew his sword and held it against Lao Mu’s neck. “Want to save them? If you dare, come here! If you don’t come, I’ll kill him first!”

Qiao Jing didn’t waste words, gesturing to a ship on the right, “Let’s greet the Great Elder He first!”

As Qiao Jing’s words fell, ten flaming arrows were fired from the ship, all aimed at the same spot on the shore.

He Wei looked on coldly, thinking they just wanted to set fire, and waved a few men over to put out the fire.

However, when the clusters of flames landed on the island, they suddenly triggered a series of intense explosions. The fastest man He Wei sent to put out the fire was directly knocked unconscious.

He Wei’s face finally couldn’t maintain its composure.

Hearing the second explosion, Gu Ling deduced from the sound that it wasn’t her explosives. This meant that Mo Yan had set up landmines around the island. Only his own people knew which areas were safe to walk while outsiders stepping on the island would perish if they weren’t careful. Therefore, the island didn’t need to patrol the shore day and night.

Since Old Mu was alive, Gu Ling thought that Cen Man should be fine too, only she hadn’t been brought here. Those landmines must have been placed after Old Mu and Cen Man were captured.

Qiao Jing said coldly, “You should know how many boats and men we have. The explosives have been delivered to your island before dawn, everywhere. All it takes is a spark, and the consequences will be what you see now. Everyone, get ready!”

Qiao Jing raised a red flag, and the two nearest ships followed suit, passing the signal along. Soon, all ten ships surrounding the island were prepared to shoot their arrows.

He Wei’s teeth clenched angrily, “Just a cheap trick! Call everyone out and burn their boats, let’s see who gets blown up first!”

Qiao Jing remained calm, “You’re only calling your men out now; can you really be faster than us? Most of your boats are already unusable. Since you’re still on the island, there must be something important on it. Am I right? Our fire can only reach the peripheries, and we might not kill a single person, but the wind is strong today. When the fire spreads everywhere, will your people on the island still be able to save anything? Will your valuable items remain untouched? He Wei, from the beginning I said that we’re only here to rescue people. Release the hostages and we will leave immediately. We won’t discuss other grievances today! Otherwise, the consequences won’t be what you desire! If you need to consult Mo Yan, then call him out! Of course, maybe you’re too scared to let Mo Yan see us because you’re hiding an important secret from him! If the commotion grows larger and Mo Yan appears, I will tell him!”

He Wei’s face turned livid with anger, and when people around him asked if they should consult Mo Yan, he immediately denied the suggestion, “The Master is in seclusion, and no one is allowed to disturb him!”

With that, He Wei coldly said, “Qiao Jing, I don’t know if Sheng Yue captured Gu Ling, but he never returned with his men!”

I know… Qiao Jing sneered, “I don’t believe you!”

“You’d better believe it!” He Wei’s sword drew closer to Old Mu’s neck, “I can only release this one person, no more! If you don’t agree, I will kill him!”

“If you dare touch our people, there’s nothing more to talk about!” As Qiao Jing spoke, he prepared to raise his hand, ordering the ship on the left to continue the bombardment.

By now, the fire caused by the first wave of explosions was getting larger. If they didn’t put it out quickly, the consequences would be severe. If Qiao Jing’s side launched a full-scale fire attack, Xingluo Island would soon be engulfed in flames.

He Wei knew that they had hostages and that Qiao Jing wouldn’t really burn Xingluo Island down. However, even if they didn’t burn everything and only burned a few places, it would still be enough to create chaos, as there weren’t many people on the island, and they had already lost quite a few masters. After all, putting out fires had nothing to do with one’s martial arts.

And Gu Ling was right, many landmines were buried in the forest in case of enemy infiltration. Indeed, they were placed after Old Mu and Cen Man were captured, to guard against Gu Ling and his team’s return. But He Wei hadn’t expected the enemy to arrive and launch a fierce fire attack rather than infiltrating the island secretly.

They had to control the fire as soon as possible. If it spread or if another fire started elsewhere, not only would the explosives shot onto the island explode, but the landmines planted by Xingluo Island itself would also explode. The consequences would be unimaginable.

At the same time, He Wei was worried that the commotion would draw Mo Yan out. So far, Mo Yan was still unaware of the truth about Su Liang being his granddaughter, thanks to the meticulous cover-up by He Wei and Sheng Yue.

“Fine! We’ll return all your people to you! But Gu Ling isn’t here; he’s not on the island!” He Wei declared fiercely, “Quickly, go find people to put out the fire and bring back those hostages he mentioned!”

Then, he yelled angrily at Qiao Jing, “If you dare make another reckless move, I will kill one of your people for every movement you make! Put down your arrows!”

Qiao Jing furrowed his brow, “Has Sheng Yue really not returned? Did he possibly get killed on his way back with Gu Ling?”

Qiao Jing’s words were play-acting, but they made those on Xingluo Island wonder if it could be true.

Qiao Jing was actually considering whether to escalate the situation to draw Mo Yan out so he could reveal that secret. But he soon dismissed the idea.

Gu Ling had told him that the primary objective was to rescue the hostages and not create additional troubles. If He Wei was pushed into a corner and lost control of the situation, the hostages might get hurt. Treading the fine line where the situation was temporarily advantageous also meant not overreaching and causing other problems.

And so, Qiao Jing ordered his men to stand down, and they didn’t have to worry about the people onshore using fire attacks on their ships. That’s because, for those onshore to set fire to ships in the open water would be too evident, and it would be much easier to defend and intercept. On the other hand, it was impossible for the people on Xingluo Island to intercept the burning arrows shot from all directions by 500 soldiers.

This was the advantage of being proactive: as long as the strategy was well-prepared, it would gain the upper hand.

About a quarter of an hour later, the fire nearby the dock hadn’t completely died down, but another explosion occurred elsewhere.

Qiao Jing hadn’t noticed before, but he realized now that there were already landmines on Xingluo Island…They were useful for defense but extremely dangerous, as they could easily hurt one’s own people. If their plan this time had been to secretly infiltrate the island, it would have been disastrous.

As the sun rose, the light grew brighter.

Qiao Jing squinted as Cen Man was brought over, tied up by the hands and feet with iron chains like old Mu, with her eyes blindfolded and mouth gagged.

Soon, Old Bai was brought over, too. Lastly, Ying Ying and her brother Ying Ye were brought over.

Qiao Jing breathed a sigh of relief. He had genuinely worried about these people meeting with disaster on Xingluo Island before. Fortunately, they were all still alive. After all, only the living have value.

“How do I know you guys won’t leave once I release the hostages?” He Wei has calmed down. If all the hostages were released, and Qiao Jing then ordered them to shoot arrows, Xingluo Island would be truly destroyed.

This was within Qiao Jing’s expectation, “You have no choice but to trust me.”

He Wei sneered, “Enough talking! Listen well, one of these people must stay behind; the others, you can take away! Otherwise, who knows if you’ll go back on your word later? There’s no room for negotiation. You choose one!”

Qiao Jing knitted his brows, but then he heard Gu Ling’s voice from behind, “Leave Ying Ye behind.”

Qiao Jing knew it wasn’t because Ying Ye had the shallowest relationship with them, so Gu Ling must have chosen him for a special reason. He said aloud, “Fine! Leave Ying Ye behind, and release everyone else!”

Who knew He Wei would change his mind, “No! It seems you guys don’t care about Ying Ye’s life, change to someone else!”

Old Mu, on the shore, raised his chained hands and waved at Qiao Jing, indicating that he should be left behind.

At present, the deadlock was disadvantageous to both sides. It was impossible to get He Wei to release all the hostages because that could not guarantee the subsequent safety of Xingluo Island. If Qiao Jing insisted on not compromising, He Wei might get angry and start killing. As long as there was still one hostage left, he could still threaten Qiao Jing.

“Will your master do?” Qiao Jing did not turn his head and asked Gu Ling. Among the hostages, only one was Gu Ling’s master, who was Old Mu.

“That can work,” Gu Ling replied.

Qiao Jing felt a bit strange, but didn’t have time to think too much at the moment. Since Gu Ling said it was okay, he spoke loudly, “Then leave Gu Ling’s master, Elder Mu behind! Release the others immediately!”

He Wei found a boat and had Old Bai, Cen Man, and Ying siblings board it. Then he sent one man to drive the boat towards Qiao Jing’s side. Meanwhile, his sword was still at Old Mu’s neck.

They were not far apart.

He Wei shouted after all the hostages got on Qiao Jing’s boat, “Leave immediately! Or else, I’ll kill him!”

“If anything happens to Elder Mu, the next time we come, we’ll level Xingluo Island! Retreat!” Qiao Jing ordered, and the ten ships simultaneously changed direction and slowly regrouped, heading away from Xingluo Island.

The fire on the shore was finally put out, and He Wei looked at the smoky forest, fuming with anger. He removed the cloth gagging Old Mu’s mouth and slapped him hard.

Old Mu laughed, “He, can you still sleep soundly in the future?” He was here to save people, so it didn’t matter if he stayed behind. With only one hostage left, He Wei would be even less likely to kill him. Old Mu believed that Gu Ling would come to rescue him. They had already won this time.

As He Wei took Old Mu away, Qiao Jing discovered that Gu Ling was missing. In the cabin, he found a letter Gu Ling had left him, containing only one sentence: “You guys go ahead, I’ll save Master.”

Qiao Jing’s face darkened. Gu Ling had secretly infiltrated Xingluo Island after all. However, now that they knew about the landmines on the island, Gu Ling could find a way to avoid them.

Cen Man was thinner but otherwise uninjured, having been kept captive since being captured on the island. She said her eyes remained covered throughout her time on Xingluo Island, and she had little insight about it. However, to Qiao Jing’s surprise, besides Cen Man, Old Bai and the Ying siblings were unharmed, though they all had amnesia, clearly as a result of deliberate memory erasure.

“Shall we wait for Xiaogu?” Cen Man looked worried.

Qiao Jing shook his head, “No waiting. We’ll go back first. I believe he has a way to save Elder Mu and escape Xingluo Island unharmed.” He was genuinely a bit upset that Gu Ling hadn’t consulted with him, but on second thought, Gu Ling might not have decided whether or not to go. Gu Ling most likely hid under the boat that brought the hostages over to Xingluo Island and didn’t have time to discuss it with him on the spur of the moment.

So, Qiao Jing decided to follow Gu Ling’s arrangement and withdrew first. As for the rest, it all depended on Gu Ling.