NOVPUBTaishi Ci felt awkward, and Guan Hai was even more so, not knowing whether to leave or stay. He just stood there on the deck, and finally, with a stomp of his foot, leapt onto another ship.
"Who was that guy?" Taishi Ci asked after Guan Hai had left.
"If you’ve guessed it, then don’t say it," Gan Ning said, looking in the direction Guan Hai had left. "Life is hard for everyone, be understanding. Look, he left so awkwardly."
"..." Taishi Ci looked at Gan Ning speechlessly and eventually gave up asking. At such a moment, such peculiar Inner Qi Manifestation, and the only person who could appear here, was that rumored dead Great Leader.
"Let’s retreat quickly, don’t stop until we’re out of the Yangtze River. Then we’ll be safe," Gan Ning sighed. "The Navy needs to be trained again. Even Zhou Yu’s bandit soldiers are so difficult to deal with."
Gan Ning also noticed the gap between himself and Zhou Yu. The opponent was able to suppress him with just bandit soldiers. If it weren’t for the fog cover, and since the opponent led bandit soldiers, making the Legion Talent ineffectual, he wouldn’t have been in such a sorry state from the cold fog. Not to mention, with the Legion Talent, Chen Xi’s Spiritual Shock would have been virtually ineffective.
"Zhou Yu knows too many things. Once caught off guard, it’s difficult to quickly switch to the right ability," Chen Xi said as he saw Gan Ning and Taishi Ci jumping onto the main ship, answering Zhuge Liang’s question swiftly and then gesturing for the two men to come over.
"Indeed, he knows too much," Zhuge Liang nodded. He had seen Zhou Yu’s performance earlier and recalled what Chen Xi had said about the battle below Lujiang City. Zhou Yu clearly had better methods but became flustered and chose the wrong approach. There was indeed an issue with switching between methods.
At the same time, Pang Tong also realized that Zhou Yu’s habitually calm demeanor didn’t mean he wasn’t flustered beneath that calm.
[Gongjin, you’re not truly perfect either. Your calm facade is just to reassure Bofu and the others, right? Sometimes you make mistakes out of panic, but you cover them up later with your composure, so we fail to see through it.] Pang Tong started to recover from the shock, watching Zhou Yu’s gentle expression and couldn’t help but smile, [It seems, on second thought, Gongjin isn’t that invincible after all.]
"Why are you staring at me?" Zhou Yu asked with a lifted eyebrow and a thoughtful look.
"Just thought of something pleasant," Pang Tong said, standing up and walking toward the edge of the ship, having sensed the unmistakable Qi of Sun Ce and Ling Cao.
"Let’s go together," Zhou Yu didn’t ask further and followed Pang Tong to greet Sun Ce and Ling Cao.
[Such an annoying expression.] Pang Tong thought without words, but he had to admit that it was Zhou Yu’s indifferent look, as if nothing mattered to him, that gave Sun Ce’s Army absolute confidence.
"Bofu, you seem to have suffered quite a few attacks! Kuntao doesn’t look to be in great shape either," Zhou Yu said, frowning slightly as he showed his real concerns, "What do you think of Taishi Ziyi?"
"A formidable opponent, but next time, I will surely defeat him," Sun Ce said nonchalantly as he tore off the armor he was wearing and tossed it onto the ship, "I’ll practice archery seriously when we get back. I suffered a lot from arrows today."
While speaking, Sun Ce used his foot to point to the marks left by arrow shots on his armor, among which there were two penetration wounds.
"I was careless, though the opponent was strong, it shouldn’t have ended like that," Ling Cao said with a wry smile, his right hand unconsciously touching his now-healed right neck where he had nearly died.
"Alright, let’s retreat. We now understand Gan Xingba’s navy. Once the Jiangxia navy arrives, we’ll join forces for battle. This time, no one is to abandon their post, Bofu," Zhou Yu said, eyeing Sun Ce.
"Okay, I’ll remember to use the Legion Talent, I won’t leave as long as no one provokes me," Sun Ce reluctantly assured Zhou Yu as if Zhou Yu was the boss, but then he muttered, "Your own Legion Talent is enough to cover everyone, why do you need us all to do it together?"
"To reinforce our military strength, to prevent any further mishaps," the keen-eared Zhou Yu clearly heard Sun Ce’s words.
"Also remember to make sure every general is prepared with their Cloud Qi, and you haven’t forgotten which generals are covered by the Legion Talent, have you, Shiyuan? You remember to connect the Cloud Qi properly, one setback is already enough," Zhou Yu turned his head to look at Pang Tong, who was staring at the sky, and instructed him. With all abilities fully activated, facing Chen Xi, aside from a slight disadvantage with Celestial Phenomenon, there would be no other mistakes.
Pang Tong glanced at the serious Zhou Yu and cursed inwardly, [Damn Zhou Yu, always joking around. I don’t believe we’ll have to fight again. Isn’t it just a matter of warning everyone while we haven’t gained an upper hand, so everyone will remember the defeat vividly and remain calm if the same situation arises in the future?]
"Okay, I got it, I’ll be careful next time," Pang Tong drawled, confident that Zhou Yu wouldn’t actually use his elite Jiangxia navy to clash with Gan Ning, even if victory was assured. Zhou Yu wouldn’t make that unprofitable move, because it wasn’t the right time.
Zhou Yu glanced at Pang Tong and said nothing, knowing that he couldn’t keep this a secret from him. Meanwhile, Sun Ce, who was yawning on the side, may not have taken in much. Zhou Yu, feeling helpless, gestured for Sun Ce to change into a suit of golden armor to exude his commanding presence.
"Near Jiujiang, let the ships scatter to find their own hiding spots. Afterward, we’ll leave it to the Jiangxia navy. After this, everyone should stay in their own waters. Youping will deliver all resources, supplies, armor, and weapons to your hands," Sun Ce said, relieved as he ran to the cabin to change his armor, while Zhou Yu started arranging orders for the bandit soldiers.
"At your command!" All surviving bandit leaders bowed their heads in acknowledgment, none daring to act out of line. The previous troublemakers had been eradicated some time ago by Ling Cao and Lyu Fan’s command. Those that survived were either already submissive or meekly obedient, with none daring to defy Zhou Yu!
"Stay in your own waterways, or don’t blame me if you get wiped out by others. And if Youping’s supply ships can’t find you, then don’t even think about getting them," Zhou Yu said harshly.
"At your command!" All the water pirates bowed their heads.
"Okay, you can all take your ships and leave with your men, separating and scattering," Zhou Yu waved his hand and said.
The pirates, who wouldn’t dare to even breathe too loudly, felt as if they had been pardoned as soon as Zhou Yu spoke. They hurriedly left Zhou Yu’s presence and rowed away in small boats.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, why are these people so obedient?" Sun Ce, who had changed into his armor, asked without really thinking, seeing the scene before him. With Zhou Yu handling things, Sun Ce hardly bothered to think much, and if things continued this way, it wouldn’t be long before his muscles spread to his brain.
"They’re subdued by your courage," Zhou Yu replied, sounding rather annoyed, "From now on, we are the bosses of the Yangtze River, both official and bandit soldiers are our men."
"I knew it would be like this," Sun Ce said proudly after changing into his golden armor.
"To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read."
