109: Undersea Currents

As night fell, the grand seascape was replaced by boundless darkness and the monotonous sound of waves. The "ten thousand seas" was like a lonely point of light, sailing steadily across the inky sea, its hull gently rising and falling with the waves.

Qin Feng stayed alone in his assigned cabin, sitting cross-legged. He wasn't trying to Cultivate but was waiting quietly. The zi hour was approaching; it was his greatest reliance every day.

[Ding! The zi hour has arrived! Daily intel has been refreshed!]

The shimmering panel appeared as scheduled.

[Today's Intel:]

[White Intel: Vice Pavilion Master Zhao Mang's wife is an internal affairs manager at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion headquarters. Her surname is Wang. She is shrewd and capable but somewhat greedy. Zhao Mang is quite afraid of his wife and hands over most of his monthly salary.]

[White Intel: Gold Medal Assassin Ji Ruxue has an unknown weakness—she gets seasick. On a continuously sailing vessel, her combat power will drop by about 25%, and both her reaction speed and concealment abilities will be affected.]

[Yellow Intel: Important information regarding the "ten thousand seas," its sailing route, and its cargo has been leaked to the Cao Gang Leader by a mole within the Four Seas Merchant Guild who was bribed by the Cao Gang. The Cao Gang Leader has already disclosed this information to a group of Wokou with whom he has secret dealings. It is recommended to immediately hide the obvious markings of the "ten thousand seas" to prevent precise identification and ambush.]

Seeing the final piece of yellow intel, a cold light flashed in Qin Feng's eyes!

"Damn it! There really is a mole!"

The Cao Gang? They mainly controlled dock laborers and some shady underground businesses, competing and cooperating with the Four Seas Merchant Guild. He hadn't expected their reach to be so long, even colluding with the Wokou!

He immediately stood up, pushed open the cabin door, and strode toward the command cabin on the top deck of the ship.

Only the night-shift sailors and guards were on the deck in the middle of the night. They saluted one after another upon seeing Qin Feng. He had no time to pay them any mind and went straight to find Steward Liu, who was on duty, and Captain Zhang Yuan, who was off-shift.

"Young Master Qin, what are your orders?" Steward Liu asked hurriedly, seeing Qin Feng's solemn expression.

"Captain Zhang, immediately send men to remove or cover all the 'ten thousand seas' identifiers on the sails and the hull! Also, put away any flags or markings that show we belong to the Four Seas Merchant Guild!" Qin Feng's tone was urgent and determined.

Captain Zhang Yuan was stunned, a look of confusion on his face. "Young Master Qin, why is this? The name 'ten thousand seas' is a prestigious brand at sea; ordinary pirates would think twice upon seeing it..."

"Do it! Immediately! Right now!" Qin Feng interrupted him, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority. "Don't ask why; the lives of everyone on this ship are at stake!"

Steward Liu was an old hand. Seeing Qin Feng's attitude, he knew there must be an extremely important reason. He immediately said to Zhang Yuan, "Old Zhang, do as Young Master Qin says! Hurry!"

"Yes! Yes!" Seeing that Steward Liu had also spoken, Captain Zhang Yuan dared not hesitate any longer. He rushed out of the command cabin and shouted for the sailors who hadn't yet gone to bed. Carrying storm lanterns and braving the night wind, they began the tense work of removing the embroidered characters from the sails and covering the ship's name on the sides with special oilcloth.

Qin Feng watched the busy crowd, feeling slightly more at ease. Although it couldn't completely eliminate the risk, it could at least reduce the probability of being precisely identified by the Wokou at the first opportunity.

After handling this emergency, Qin Feng breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to return to his cabin, he heard some movement from the lower deck. He followed the sound and, by the dim moonlight and the windproof lamps on the bulwark, saw Xiao Chun supporting Ji Ruxue by the railing. The usually cold-as-frost Gold Medal Assassin was now pale and vomiting into the sea.

"Sister Xue, are you alright? Just hold on a bit longer. My healing art doesn't seem very effective against seasickness..." Xiao Chun said worriedly while gently patting Ji Ruxue's back.

Qin Feng walked over, feeling a bit amused. "I didn't expect that the fearsome Gold Medal Assassin would actually get seasick."

Ji Ruxue looked up at the sound. A flash of embarrassment and annoyance crossed her pale face, but her weakened body made even the strength to glare at Qin Feng seem insufficient. She bit her lower lip and turned her head away, not wanting him to see her in such a pathetic state.

Qin Feng smiled and took a small porcelain bottle from his Storage Pouch, handing it over. "Here, seasickness medicine. I prepared it in advance."

Ji Ruxue was stunned for a moment. She looked at the porcelain bottle and then at Qin Feng, her eyes filled with complexity. Xiao Chun had already taken it for her, pouring out two pills and stuffing them into her hand. "Sister Xue, hurry and take them. The medicine Big Brother Qin prepared will definitely work!"

Ji Ruxue remained silent for a moment before finally swallowing the pills. After a while, her complexion seemed to improve slightly. Though she was still a bit weak, she was no longer vomiting. She whispered, "...Thank you."

"It's nothing." Qin Feng waved his hand. But in his heart, he thought that a 25% drop in combat power was no small matter. Fortunately, he had found out in advance; otherwise, it could have been fatal in a sudden emergency... Over the next few days, the voyage seemed to return to tranquility.

According to Captain Zhang Yuan, it would take about six days to reach Star Moon City at full speed. Everyone hoped this journey would be peaceful.

The sea's magnificence and boredom coexisted. By day, there was the azure water and sky; by night, the brilliant galaxy reflected in the inky sea. Occasionally, one could see leaping dolphins or whales spouting water in the distance, drawing bursts of cheers from Xiao Chun. But more often than not, it was the monotonous horizon, which easily caused visual fatigue.

Qin Feng spent most of his time in his cabin to Cultivate. He took out the precious earth core jade marrow, taking only one drop each time he cultivated. The pure energy continuously nourished his Meridians, consolidating his Late-stage Grand Martial Master cultivation and steadily advancing toward Great Perfection.

"The earth core jade marrow is indeed miraculous. At this rate, I can reach the Peak of the Late-stage Grand Martial Master before arriving at Star Moon City, just one step away from Great Perfection." Qin Feng felt the increasingly surging Internal Energy within him, his heart filled with certainty. "At that time, after going back and taking the previously refined hunyuan pill to supplement and consolidate, I can start preparing to break through to Martial King!"

And the key to breaking through to Martial King—the five spirit flower—was waiting for him ahead as the reward for this voyage.

He walked to the window and pushed open the porthole, letting the salty sea breeze rush in. Looking at the vast, seemingly all-consuming deep blue, Qin Feng's gaze became increasingly firm.

"I hope there are no accidents... but if those Wokou really dare to come,"

He gently clenched his fist, and the qingming sword let out a faint, almost imperceptible hum in its sheath.

"I'll make sure they never return!"