118: Division of spoils

Sasaki Taro's death was like pulling the backbone out of all the remaining Wokou.

"The leader is dead!"

"Run!"

Seeing their strongest reliance fall, the remaining dozen or so Wokou were instantly Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, completely devoid of any Battle Intent. With a shout, they scattered like headless flies, eager to escape this asura field as quickly as possible.

"Kill! Leave no one alive!" Zhao Mang suppressed the severe pain in his left arm, his eyes wide with fury, his voice like a great bell. Although severely wounded, his Martial King Aura was still present.

"Avenge our fallen brothers!" Mace also suppressed her injuries and shouted sternly.

The Alliance's morale soared. The surviving Martial Artists, their eyes red, relentlessly pursued the fleeing Wokou under the leadership of Zhao Mang and Mace. Although Ji Ruxue was also seriously injured, her movement technique remained. She was like a ghost collecting lives, specifically intercepting the fastest fleeing Wokou.

The defeat was like a landslide. The Wokou, having lost their will to fight, were unable to organize effective resistance. In just a moment, the last dozen or so were caught by the Alliance and completely annihilated.

As for the Half-Step Martial King subordinate leader who had been entangled with Mace for a long time, the moment Sasaki died and the Alliance encircled them, he completely lost his will to fight.

"Baka... surviving is the most important thing!"

He unhesitatingly abandoned his subordinates and, relying on his Half-Step Martial King cultivation, forcibly broke through the obstruction of two Grand Martial Masters. Like a stray dog, he rushed towards the seaside without looking back, jumped onto a fast boat hidden in a small bay, and fled Black Reef Island at top speed, disappearing into the vast sea.

Zhao Mang and Mace were powerless to pursue him. Their own condition was extremely poor, and their subordinates had suffered heavy casualties, so they could only watch him escape.

The battle finally ended.

The air was filled with a strong smell of blood and gunpowder. The island was covered with broken corpses, shattered weapons, and burning ruins.

"Xiaochun! Quickly! Save them!" Qin Feng leaned weakly against a rock, his voice hoarse. He had swallowed a Qi Replenishing Pill and was trying to calm the backlash and weakness brought on by the qi burst pill.

Xiaochun, disregarding her fatigue, immediately led several physicians from the Four Seas Merchant Guild's ship into the urgent rescue work. Green healing light continuously lit up on the injured, stopping bleeding, bandaging, feeding Medicinal Pills... everyone was racing against death.

After nearly an hour of emergency treatment and rough statistics, the casualty figures were reported to Qin Feng.

In this battle, the Alliance suffered thirty-seven deaths and fifty-one injured (seriously or lightly).

Among them, one Grand Martial Master guard from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was seriously injured but not life-threatening for now.

The Four Seas Merchant Guild also suffered heavy losses: two Late-stage Grand Martial Master guards were killed, and one was seriously injured.

The remaining deceased and seriously injured were mostly Green Fish Bandits members under Mace, who bore the brunt of the initial and fiercest impact.

In terms of high-end combat power, Zhao Mang's left arm was severely injured, with damaged tendons and bones, requiring several months of rest; Ji Ruxue's internal organs were shaken, and she had multiple sword cuts and scratches on her body; Steward Liu suffered a severe waist injury and excessive blood loss. Although Xiaochun's treatment saved his life, his Origin Qi was greatly depleted; Mace suffered a severe shoulder injury, reducing her combat power.

Qin Feng looked at the qingming sword in his hand, which was broken in the middle and had lost all its spiritual essence, his face terribly grim. This mysterious rank, extreme grade treasured sword, which had accompanied him since it was bestowed upon him in Star South City, was destroyed in this battle today.

"I didn't expect... even with accurate intelligence and a surprise attack strategy, the casualties are still so heavy..." A chill ran through his heart as he deeply realized the gap between his own strength and true powerhouses, as well as the cruelty of war. He underestimated the ferocity and equipment advantage of the Wokou, and also overestimated the Alliance's resilience in the face of stubborn resistance.

"Fortunately... I brought Xiaochun this time." He looked at the petite figure still busy among the wounded, his heart filled with gratitude. If not for Xiaochun's Body of a Hundred Medicines and superb healing techniques, the casualty figures would probably have doubled, and Steward Liu and the Grand Martial Master from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion might not have been saved.

After half an hour of rest, those who could move began to clean up the battlefield and search deep into the Wokou's lair.

In the largest central cave, they found more than fifty ragged, terrified women held captive by the Wokou, as well as over twenty slaves, chained and covered in wounds, all plundered from various places. Seeing the Alliance members, they cried and pleaded as if they had seen their saviors.

Ji Ruxue led her people to carefully count the treasures hidden in the Wokou's lair, including gold coins, jewels, antiques, and goods plundered from previous merchant ships. They even scavenged many valuable items from the bodies of Sasaki and several other leaders. After tallying, the total value reached over 300,000 gold coins!

This was an astonishing windfall!

Qin Feng looked at the pile of treasures, which formed a small mountain, pondered for a moment, and made a distribution. He pushed treasures worth about 150,000 gold coins in front of Mace.

"Leader Mace, your Green Fish Bandits suffered the most casualties and contributed greatly this time. Take these 150,000 gold coins; the excess can be used as compensation for the fallen and injured brothers. Thank you for your help this time." Qin Feng's tone was very sincere. If not for Mace and her subordinates' familiarity with naval combat, their ability to destroy mechanisms, and their desperate fight in the final moments, the outcome would have been hard to predict.

Mace looked at the glittering treasures in front of her, stunned for a moment. She had thought Qin Feng would take the opportunity to drive down the price, or even abandon them after crossing the river, but she didn't expect him to be so generous. 150,000 gold coins far exceeded her previous psychological expectations! It was enough for her to recruit new members, recover her strength, and even allow her brothers to live a good life for a while.

Her complex gaze lingered on Qin Feng's pale face for a moment, then she finally cupped her fists, her voice less sharp than usual, with a hint of solemnity: "Young Master Qin, you're a man of your word! This favor, Mace and the Green Fish Bandits will remember!"

She paused, then pointed at the Wokou corpses and the Katana scattered everywhere (even though many were damaged): "We'll take these Wokou heads and identifiable Katana to Quanzhou Port to claim the reward. The government and the Sea Merchant Alliance both offer bounties; one Wokou head is worth one thousand gold coins, and these broken swords can also be exchanged for some money. It can be considered an extra settlement fee for our brothers."

"Mm, that's fine." Qin Feng nodded, having no objection. It was most appropriate for the Green Fish Bandits to handle these spoils of war.

Watching Mace begin to direct her subordinates to collect their comrades' bodies and transport the treasures, Qin Feng knew that although the Green Fish Bandits were severely weakened after this battle, they received a large sum in compensation and bounties, and Mace owed him a favor. In the future, in this sea area, she might become a potential ally rather than an enemy.

This could be considered an unexpected gain beyond this tragic victory.