Chapter 992 - 1000: Sword Points to Nangong, Island Landing_2

"Don't move, just lie down."

Chen Mo quickly walked over and assisted Xue Gu to lie back down.

Xue Gu felt incredibly honored and overwhelmed at being attended to with such care, particularly as a diplomat of Great Wei, normally welcomed as a distinguished guest at various countries during overseas visits.

Why did these countries treat him so well?

Was it because of himself?

He didn't have the face for it.

Rather, it was because a powerful nation stood behind him—Great Wei.

He took pride in Great Wei, and now having the honor to interact closely with the Emperor of Great Wei, his feelings were beyond imagination.

Chen Mo didn't rush to inquire about the fleet, instead asking first about his physical condition.

This concern from such an eminent person gave Xue Gu a boost in self-esteem; he felt that the looks directed at him by those around were filled with envy, inflating his vanity.

So, even though he felt unwell, Xue Gu stubbornly claimed he was fine.

After offering some comfort, Chen Mo didn't linger and straightforwardly asked, "Xue Gu, what exactly happened before you lost consciousness? Who attacked you?"

Originally, Xue Gu was still feeling excited, but upon hearing this question, the scene in front of him returned to that afternoon.

It was a day with beautiful weather, the breeze was gentle and the sun was shining.

At this moment, a massive fleet approached across the bow.

Judging by the style of the ships and the faces aboard, Xue Gu assumed them to be his own nation's fleet, happily waving in greeting.

The other side responded enthusiastically as well.

This put Xue Gu's group at ease, but once the other fleet drew near, what greeted Xue Gu and his companions was a shower of fiery arrows.

Xue Gu and his companions were attacked.

After this, Xue Gu's memory was not very clear.

He was a civil servant, an envoy of Great Wei.

Shortly after the attack, soldiers shielded him and led him to hide within a cabin.

He could only hear cries, shouts, and a chaos of sounds.

Time unknowingly passed; then, the main ship he was aboard suffered a collision with a battleship.

Fortunately, the main ship was wrapped in oxhide, known as a "Meng Chong," and aside from some slight rocking, was not damaged at all.

However, this drew the most intense firepower onto the main ship.

During the resistance by the soldiers and the sinking of the main ship.

Xue Gu felt as if he experienced the longest period of his life.

The soldiers protecting him fell one by one before him.

The cries of colleagues and the blood splattering on the ground deeply stabbed his heart.

Then, his chest was pierced by a spear.

He fainted from the pain.

The enemies thought he was dead and tossed him into the sea.

Afterwards, he woke up.

He saw corpses being thrown down from the main ship by the enemies, including the captain of the fleet.

Surrounding him were dilapidated, sinking ships, engulfed in flames.

The enemies moved the cargo from the ships onto their own, then destroyed the ships.

The smoke from the fires billowed into the sky.

Possibly because the surrounding environment was too chaotic, the enemy did not notice he was still alive.

Though Xue Gu survived, what awaited him was torment.

He was severely injured, unable to move, forced to cling to a plank in the seawater, letting the waves carry him.

That night, the water was freezing, and it rained, leaving him soaked and chilled.

The waves the next day were enormous, sweeping him into the sea. The feeling of drowning and helplessness from suffocation became his nightmare.

Merely recalling it caused the forty-year-old Xue Gu to shudder in fear.

Xue Gu didn't know the exact identity of the enemies.

But from the accent, Xue Gu could discern it was from River Sea.

Also, the ships looked strikingly similar to those of Fish Scale Guard.

Although Xue Gu couldn't confirm, everything he mentioned pointed to the Nangong Family.

It is known that the warship designs used by Fish Scale Guard were from the Nangong Family, with shipyards also built by them.

Thus, aside from Fish Scale Guard, only the Nangong Family had such ships.

Those Central State faces...

Chen Mo's expression darkened.

"Your Majesty, right..." Xue Gu's head pained intensely, needing to slowly recall some things, he said, "I remember Zhongli died mentioning the enemy's main commander was an Upper-Grade Martial Artist and that Zhongli was shot dead by an enemy commander with just one arrow."

The Zhongli mentioned by Xue Gu was the captain of his fleet, a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist.

Upper-Grade Martial Artists are rare in Great Wei.

Thus, overseas fleet commanders were typically Fourth or Fifth Grade Middle-Grade Martial Artists.

But given the strength of these small overseas nations, Middle-Grade Martial Artists were considered top-tier, sufficing the need.

"Upper-Grade Martial Artist?" Nangong Xian furrowed his brow and said to Chen Mo, "Your Majesty, from what I know, there are no Upper-Grade Martial Artists in the Luo Strait or any nations adjacent to the Boli trade routes..."

Chen Mo's face was cold as he again queried, "When you encountered the attack, were you near the waters of Boli Kingdom?"

Hearing this, Xue Gu thought for a moment, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, exactly."

Chen Mo said nothing more, turned around stern-faced, and exited the room where Xue Gu was accommodated.

Once Nangong Xian followed him out, Chen Mo said in a deep voice, "Simply unforgivable. If I find out it truly was Nangong Jin's doing, I will ensure they seek neither to live nor die."

Nangong Xian shivered upon hearing Chen Mo's words.

...

On June 10th, in the Second Year of Zhen Guan.

"Boli Kingdom has actually set up watch posts at sea, and dispatched special ships nearby for patrols."

On a merchant ship thirty nautical miles from Boli Kingdom, in a room on the second deck, Chen Mo opened his eyes.

His current limit for Soul Travel had reached twenty miles; he had just roamed with his soul around, knowing that if they sailed straight over, they'd likely be spotted by the posts before reaching the coast, thus alarming the situation.

This was surely not the work of Boli Kingdom locals.

Moreover, judging by the appearances of those at the posts, Chen Mo became more convinced that the Nangong Family had truly hidden away here.

"We can't get closer, otherwise we'll be discovered."

Chen Mo got out of bed and said to Yue Ruyan, who was offering protection for him.

"Then how will we land on the island..."

Before finishing her sentence, Yue Ruyan face turned red with embarrassment, almost forgetting that Chen Mo, being a Celestial Human Realm Martial Artist, could fly.

Chen Mo said, "I'll fly over once it's dark."

"Just you?" Yue Ruyan seemed worried.

"Me alone is enough. More people would be disruptive." Chen Mo replied.

His current cultivation was leagues ahead compared to other Upper-Grade Martial Artists.

...

In the evening, after brief instructions to Yue Ruyan and Nangong Xian, Chen Mo dashed skyward under the cover of night.

Nangong Xian watched as Chen Mo flew higher and higher, mouth agape.

He had only now realized that Chen Mo was already a First-Grade Martial Artist.

The ship beneath Chen Mo grew smaller, eventually becoming mere pinpoints like fireflies.

The higher he flew, the colder the temperatures became, even reaching a point that was unbearable, forcing him to slowly descend.

He roughly estimated a few moments earlier that he must have surpassed a height of a thousand meters.

Landing in a secluded dark spot on Boli Island, Chen Mo reached up to touch his hair—it was wet, the front strands blown upward by the wind appeared wild.

After tidying himself slightly, Chen Mo headed towards a direction where from up above he'd seen buildings still glowing under bright lights.

With the situation clear, his strength allowing him to approach unnoticed was incredibly easy.

The reason not to use Soul Travel again—having used it during the day, he hadn't yet recovered; moreover, after soul traveling, no one on this island would safeguard his body, leaving it unprotected.

With roughly a quarter-hour passed, Chen Mo reached this area of construction.

This site was very low-built, incomparable to the buildings in Great Wei, surrounded by soldiers in iron armor patrolling and standing guard.

Chen Mo slipped into the darkness, like an agile night cat, silently infiltrating.

Soon, he spotted a familiar figure.

ps: Wishing everyone a happy New Year, a prosperous Year of the Snake, lots of luck, good health, and great wealth!