Zheng Zhihu was still trying to steady his breathing when another head burst up through the water beside him.
It was Zheng Sen.
"Second Uncle! Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Zheng Zhihu replied, still catching his breath. "Mr. Li pulled me out."
Zheng Sen's face was pale, eyes wide with something between awe and fear. "I saw it. The way he saved you… that wasn't normal. Is he truly human?"
Zheng Zhihu shook his head slowly. "I have no idea. And this is not the time to think about it. Get back to the ship and take command. I still have to go carve Liu Xiang into pieces."
Zheng Sen called after him anxiously, "Be careful! Don't get trapped in a fishing net again!"
Zheng Zhihu snorted. "A trick that works once on Zheng Zhihu will never work twice."
He struck out toward Liu Xiang's flagship again. The hull was slick and nearly impossible to climb, but ropes now dangled from the rail above. He seized one and hauled himself upward with explosive speed.
By the time he vaulted back onto the deck, the battle was already collapsing.
Earlier, Zheng Zhihu had nearly wiped out the entire crew by himself. Liu Xiang was left with barely anyone capable of resisting, and more Zheng family marines were boarding every moment. The tide had fully turned.
"Liu Xiang, prepare to die!"
The sailors roared as they closed in.
Liu Xiang threw his head back and laughed wildly. "If I die, I'll drag a Zheng Zhihu down with me. That's worth it. Hahaha!"
The laughter died in his throat.
The crowd in front of him suddenly parted.
Zheng Zhihu strode forward, pushing aside his own men. "Who exactly are you dragging down?"
Liu Xiang's face drained of color. "Impossible. You didn't drown?"
Zheng Zhihu gave a low chuckle. "I had someone backing me."
Silence fell for a breath.
"All right," Zheng Zhihu continued, lifting his saber. "Old debts and new grudges. Let's finish them here."
He advanced steadily.
Liu Xiang retreated two steps, then abruptly spun and rushed toward the rail, intending to throw himself back into the sea.
He never made it.
With a splash, a figure shot straight out of the water like a flying fish and slammed upward from below. A solid head struck under Liu Xiang's chin with a heavy thud.
The pirate leader staggered backward, his escape shattered.
When he regained focus, he saw a man in swordsman's attire standing lightly by the rail. The fabric clung for only a moment before drying as though the sea itself refused to stain it.
Li Daoxuan sat on the rail with his legs hanging loosely, expression relaxed. "I've finished relaxing. I'm in a good mood now. I'm only watching. Please continue."
Liu Xiang stared at him, unable to form a single word.
Zheng Zhihu did not waste the opportunity. He lunged forward.
Steel rang sharply as their sabers collided.
The duel that followed was fierce but brief. Liu Xiang fought desperately, but the difference in strength was obvious. Li Daoxuan only needed a few breaths to judge the outcome.
Within ten exchanges, Zheng Zhihu's blade cut cleanly across Liu Xiang's neck. Blood sprayed across the deck.
"Liu Xiang is dead!"
"Liu Xiang is dead!"
"The last great pirate of the Southeast is gone!"
Cheers erupted across the ships.
With their leader fallen, the remaining pirates faltered. Some threw down their weapons and surrendered. Others attempted to steer away from the battlefield, hoping to slip through the chaos.
There was nowhere to go.
Zheng Zhilong's fleet and the Gao Family Village navy had sealed the sea from north and south. The pincer had been deliberate from the beginning. Any pirate vessel that tried to flee was quickly surrounded and forced back.
By dusk, the Liu Xiang pirate band was finished.
He had been the last major chieftain among the so-called Wind and Cloud Eighteen Scholars of piracy. With his death, the large pirate syndicates along the Southeast coast were finally crushed. What remained would be small bands at most, hardly worthy of concern.
That evening, the battlefield was methodically cleaned.
Captured ships were gathered together. Surrendered pirates were disarmed and ordered to operate their own vessels under supervision. Small boats drifted across the sea collecting floating planks and salvaging the bodies of fallen comrades. Those recovered would be brought home for burial. As for pirate corpses, the sea claimed them without ceremony.
On Zheng Zhilong's flagship, a banquet was arranged.
Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Zhihu, Zheng Sen, Mr. Li, Jiang Cheng, Shi Lang, and several others sat around a large table piled high with seafood.
Zheng Zhilong himself was a broad, straightforward man. Not the refined scholar-general type, though he carried himself with slightly more polish than his second brother.
He raised his cup. "Today we were fortunate that Mr. Li intervened and saved my second brother. Zheng can only offer this toast in gratitude."
Li Daoxuan cracked open a crab leg with precise efficiency and sucked out the meat, fully absorbed in the flavor. The wine cup remained untouched.
Zheng Zhilong's eyes twitched slightly.
Jiang Cheng quickly smiled and explained, "General Zheng is too courteous. Mr. Li is not fond of drinking, but he has an exceptional appreciation for seafood."
Zheng Zhilong thought to himself that palace officials were indeed peculiar creatures.
Zheng Zhihu laughed heartily. "Brother, we came from pirate stock. We hate empty formalities. Mr. Li skipping the ceremony suits us perfectly."
Zheng Zhilong laughed as well. "You're right. No need for nonsense. Eat!"
A lobster shell cracked loudly between Li Daoxuan's fingers.
Zheng Zhilong leaned toward Zheng Zhihu and whispered, "Second Brother, this palace official eats quite a lot."
Zheng Zhihu whispered back, "His love of seafood benefits us. The nautical clock I brought you before was traded for seafood."
Zheng Zhilong's eyes brightened. "That divine clock is extraordinary. To exchange a few shiploads of seafood for it was a tremendous bargain."
At that moment, Zheng Sen leaned in as well. "Second Uncle, don't you think Mr. Li doesn't seem entirely human?"
Zheng Zhihu nodded without hesitation. "He truly doesn't."
Zheng Zhilong raised a brow. "Oh?"
The three huddled closer. Zheng Zhihu and Zheng Sen recounted everything they had seen beneath the water.
When they finished, Zheng Zhilong drew in a sharp breath. "You are certain?"
"I may not be educated," Zheng Zhihu replied, "but I can still see clearly."
Zheng Sen added solemnly, "And I am educated. My eyes are clear too."
Zheng Zhilong fell into deep thought. After a long pause, he lowered his voice. "Perhaps it is one of the palace's secret arts. For generations, the court has hidden extraordinary masters. They all possess miraculous martial techniques. I once heard that the Grand Eunuch Zheng He was peerless in skill, wielding hammers like Li Yuanba. He sailed the Western Oceans, suppressed pirates, crushed rebellions, even toppled kingdoms, yet was never injured."
The three men exchanged uneasy looks.
Then they turned their heads toward Li Daoxuan again.
Under the lantern light, with crab shells piled beside him and a calm expression on his face, his figure seemed taller, brighter, and far more unfathomable than before.