“You… you’re saying we should hand over Boss Maye to Boss Xu Hai as a stepping stone for our advancement?” The pirate cautiously glanced towards the house, stammering as a mix of tension and excitement sent his adrenaline soaring.
Indeed, Boss Maye was their biggest bargaining chip.
Didn’t Xu Hai want to take over Maye’s faction? Didn’t he dream of ruling Tuolin alone?
Of course he did—he’d be dreaming of it.
If they delivered a half-dead Maye to Xu Hai, how could Xu Hai not be pleased with them?
Is *that* the way out you’re talking about?
“Are you trying to get us killed?” The trusted pirate shot him a fierce glare, snorting heavily.
“What do you mean? Isn’t that what you meant?” The other pirate was momentarily baffled, then immediately furious. “What’s your game? It’s this late in the day, and you’re still pretending to be Maye’s loyal lapdog? Acting like the most devoted follower? Weren’t you just saying Maye’s our biggest bargaining chip? Are you mental?”
The trusted pirate gently patted the other’s shoulder, signalling him to calm down, then explained with a serious expression. “Brother, listen to me. We’re looking for a way out, not a death sentence. If we hand Maye over to Xu Hai, he’ll turn around and kill us as ‘traitors.’ If Xu Hai doesn’t kill us, he’d be encouraging betrayal. Who’s to say one of his own trusted men won’t follow our example and sell him out for a better deal? Xu Hai would never allow that risk, so he’d kill us to ‘honour’ Maye and win over his men.”
“Brother, those sitting at the top see things differently from us.”
The other pirate nodded, a chill of realisation running through him. “You’re right, you’re right. Handing Maye to Xu Hai would be suicide.”
“But if not Xu Hai, who else can we give him to? King Hui, Wang Zhi?” The pirate fell back into confusion.
The trusted pirate shook his head and said slowly, “What use would Wang Zhi have for Maye? Maye’s half-dead—what value is he to Wang Zhi? And we’d be betraying our leader. Wang Zhi would do the same as Xu Hai—execute us to discourage others from following suit.”
“Then Maye isn’t our biggest bargaining chip—he’s our bloody death warrant! No matter which pirate crew we hand him to, we’re doomed to be executed. Isn’t that a death warrant?” The other pirate’s eyes widened.
This wasn’t a bargaining chip—it was a death sentence!
“Maye *is* our biggest bargaining chip, but we need to offer him to the right person,” the trusted pirate said meaningfully.
“Who else is there? No matter who we turn to, we’ll end up dead,” the other pirate said, at a complete loss.
“I’m telling you, no matter what you hear, don’t get too worked up and alert the others inside,” the trusted pirate cautioned before continuing.
“Fine, I’m ready,” the other pirate nodded, taking a deep breath, waiting for the trusted pirate to reveal the answer.
“The south,” the trusted pirate said, nodding towards the south.
“King Hui?” The other pirate froze. “Didn’t we just say we can’t join Wang Zhi? Maye’s important to Xu Hai, but to Wang Zhi, he’s not that significant. Wang Zhi’s got plenty of talent—Maye might not even rank. Plus, Maye’s half-dead now. And, like we said, Wang Zhi would kill us for betraying our leader to prevent others from doing the same.”
“Wrong. I’m not talking about Wang Zhi,” the trusted pirate shook his head.
“Not Wang Zhi?” The other pirate was stunned, utterly confused. “Then who?”
“Remember what I said—don’t get too excited,” the trusted pirate reminded him again.
“Alright, I got it. I’m ready. Just give me the answer already,” the other pirate urged impatiently.
This back-and-forth had dragged on forever, and he still hadn’t revealed the answer. Talk about stalling.
“Alright, here it is. The person I want to join is in Zhejiang…” the trusted pirate said slowly.
“Wang Zhi’s forces are also in Zhejiang’s coastal areas, and he’s in Jiangnan too. Who is it?” The other pirate racked his brains.
“It’s Zhu Heping, the Zhejiang governor!” the trusted pirate said deliberately.
“Who?! Who did you say?!” The other pirate couldn’t hold it in, shouting in disbelief, his face a picture of shock.
“Shh! Keep it down!” The trusted pirate nervously moved to cover his mouth.
“What’s going on out there? Are there pursuers?” A pained voice came from inside the house, laced with tension, followed by a loud clatter.
“Cough, nothing! No pursuers. I just told this coward a ghost story and spooked him,” the trusted pirate quickly shouted back.
“You’re mad, telling ghost stories at a time like this,” the pirate inside cursed, rolling over in discomfort.
He’d heard the shout of “Who?!” and thought pursuers had arrived. Panicked, he tried to get up to run, but his body was too weak, and he collapsed with a crash. Hearing it was just a ghost story, he couldn’t help but curse in frustration.
That bastard, telling ghost stories at a time like this. It wasn’t just a fall—his trousers were soaked with piss from the scare.
“Didn’t I tell you not to get worked up, no matter what I said? Why’re you making a fuss?” the trusted pirate said outside, frowning.
“You try hearing what you just said! I was already holding back as much as I could,” the other pirate snapped.
“Coward,” the trusted pirate scoffed.
“Coward? I’ve killed without blinking,” the other pirate retorted, indignant.
“Then why’d you just lose it like that?” the trusted pirate smirked.
“You’re talking about joining Zhu Heping, the Zhejiang governor! The same Zhu Heping who just slaughtered our five-thousand-strong army, leaving barely a handful of us alive! We went through hell to escape his clutches, and now you’re saying we should join that pirate-slaying demon king? That’s suicide! Did you bash your head on a tree while escaping and lose your mind?” The other pirate couldn’t hold back, unleashing a torrent of curses at the trusted pirate.
Even now, the mere mention of “Zhu Heping” sent shivers down his spine, raising goosebumps on his back.
And this idiot wanted them to go join Zhu Heping!
It was like an old man hanging himself—begging for death!
