Chapter 297. To Hainan Island (2)

The trip to Hainan Island was finalized.

Zhou Xuchuan informed only the leaders of the Martial Alliance and the Mount Hua Sect about his departure.

While it was something that would inevitably become known, if word reached the Dark Heavens Association before he set off, they could cause trouble along the route.

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

"It really seems like you have no time to rest," Zhou Xuchuan quipped.

Zhuge Xiang sighed after hearing the news.

Zhou Xuchuan was now the stabilizing force known as the Sword God.

Just having the hero in the Central Plains boosted morale and maintained public order. His absence had to be concealed.

Not only did they need to keep it a secret, but they also had to create false information to make it seem as if he were still there.

"Is it okay if I ask what's going on this time?"

"Of course."

It was necessary to explain the plan in advance to Zhuge Xiang, the Strategist. He would be the one to lead the forces later.

Zhuge Xiang had always felt sorry for Zhuge Shengji, who had been treated as a fool by the Zhuge Family.

Now that his younger brother had finally gotten his recognition and was starting to make his move, he was as happy as if it were his own achievement.

"If you need anything, don’t hesitate to send me a letter. I’ll arrange permission from the Evil Valley so you can get messages through Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guangdong."[1]

As the Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley had a common enemy, the Dark Heavens Association, and were now allies, it shouldn't be that difficult.

"Moreover, I recommend that you go with my younger sister."

"With the Tactician?"

Zhou Xuchuan's eyes lit up.

"How much do you know about Hainan Island?" Zhuge Xiang asked.

"That it's been a place of exile for generations and that it’s home to the Hainan Sword Sect," Zhou Xuchuan responded.

Despite the chaos of his previous life, he had heard little about the Hainan Sword Sect. Though rumors claimed its disciples had participated in the war, their involvement remained uncertain.

"Getting into Hainan Island is hard, but leaving is even harder."

"I've heard that most of the islands in the South Sea are protected by Mechanism Formations... so that's what you're referring to," Zhou Xuchuan said, realizing the reason behind Zhuge Xiang's suggestion.

What he had told Zhuge Shengji earlier hadn’t been a lie.

"That's right. Hainan Island and Mount Putuo in the Zhoushan Archipelago are prime examples. Both are protected by a considerable amount of Mechanism Formations."

There was a reason it had been chosen as the place of exile for government officials.

With entry and exit restricted, exiled imperial bloodlines or demoted officials couldn’t establish power bases for rebellion.

"They say entering Hainan Island isn’t too much of a problem. The Mechanism Formations don’t interfere much with entry. The real difficulty is the unpredictable weather. But even if a typhoon hits, with so many experts aboard—including you, Sword God—there shouldn’t be too much cause for concern."

Even if someone fell overboard, the other experts could intervene. The same applied to managing the sails.

"It seems the problem is getting back out."

Zhou Xuchuan listened carefully to Zhuge Xiang's words. The Knowledge Dragon, who would later become the Heavenly Strategist, never spoke in vain. It was no surprise that he had become a key figure during the Era of War and Chaos.

"Do the Mechanism Formations really have such a strong effect on leaving? There has to be a way out. We still have occasional exchanges with Hainan Island, don’t we?"

If it was really a place where entry and exit was impossible, Hainan Island would have been an unknown land and exchanges would have been impossible.

The Hainan Sword Sect, however, wasn't a mysterious hidden sect. Although it was a bit closed off, it wasn't as if it was completely inactive. While it took them about ten years if they moved quickly, and a couple of decades if they moved slowly, their disciples still occasionally appeared in the Central Plains

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and played active roles.

"It's certainly not impossible, as you said. However, the problem is that it takes a significant amount of time. Handling the mechanisms will be easy, but you’ll need help with the formations."

Zhuge Xiang hoped that Zhou Xuchuan would resolve the matter as soon as possible and return. The Righteous Faction needed their hero.

"Understood. Then we'll do as you say."

"Please take good care of Xiuluan and Shengji. Also, I’m not sure if it’s due to the recent war or interference from the Dark Heavens Association, but I’ve been having trouble contacting the Hainan Sword Sect. Stay alert and be careful."

"Understood."

***

Caw, caw.

Above them, a flock of white seagulls glided through the sky, passing over the ship.

"Bleugh."

Most of the warriors, who had never set foot on a ship before, had turned pale.

The sounds of retching filled the air.

"Bleugh... I'm going to die..." One of the Ten Gale Swordsmen, Hua Bisheng, clung to the railing, groaning as he vomited his meal from the night before.

"You little tyke, you lack guts!"

Chu Lian laughed while hitting Hua Bisheng on the back.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"N-Nunim! I... if you do that... BLEUGH!!!"

Hua Bisheng emptied his stomach, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Now look at this. Not only is the Head Merchant—who may as well be a pig—walking around just fine, but even our

poor little baby

is holding up well."

"Who's your poor little baby? Who?!" Zhuge Shengji snapped, a vein popping on his forehead.

Meanwhile, Li Yicai glanced at his lower abdomen, unable to refute her words.

"Not only that, but even Lady Tactician is also fine."

Chu Lian’s gaze shifted to Zhuge Xiuluan, who had stepped out onto the deck for fresh air. Her expression remained completely unchanged as she stared at the horizon.

Could this really be a problem of tenacity? I'm about to go crazy.

Hua Bisheng tilted his head at Chu Lian's words.

Even Peak and First Class martial artists were suffering from relentless seasickness, so it baffled him that those without martial training remained unaffected.

Especially with a typhoon raging—it wasn’t a joke. Hua Bisheng genuinely wanted to throw himself into the sea. The seasickness was just that unbearable.

"The Head Merchant has been traveling up and down the Yangtze River doing business since his youth, so he's basically sick of getting on boats, and Shengji has experienced far more than the rocking of boats because of his mechanisms," Zhou Xuchuan explained while grasping Hua Bisheng's pulse meridian.[2]

"C-captain Zhou..."

Hua Bisheng’s face finally looked as though he had come back to life.

"Young Lady Zhuge also has a similar reason."

The harmony of heaven and earth unfolded within formations.

Experiencing tremors within them was expected, and she had endured far worse situations. For someone like her, the rocking of a ship was nothing.

"Then, what do you think is the reason for me?"

Hua Bisheng gasped at the voice that made his heart tremble. At the end of his gaze stood a woman with a seductive smile, exuding effortless allure.

A beauty who could be ranked within the peak of the

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.

It was Wave Sword Phoenix Duan Lihua.

The moment she stepped aboard, those suffering from seasickness, like Hua Bisheng, tried to make a good impression.

"Well... I don't know."

Zhou Xuchuan smiled awkwardly and brushed it off.

I never thought I would be traveling with the Wave Sword Phoenix.

It was impossible for only a few of them to go to Hainan Island.

Starting with the basic ship complement and captain, they needed specialized crew members like experienced deckhands and shipwrights.

In addition, they also needed people to escort the non-combatants like Zhuge Shengji and Li Yicai. However, he never could have planned for it to be Duan Lihua. Originally, it was supposed to be Luo Xiaoyue and Tang Hui.

Sometimes, I regret becoming a Plum Blossom Swordsman.

Due to her status, Luo Xiaoyue wasn't able to follow them all the way to the South Sea and had to return to the Mount Hua Sect.

If you die or go missing again, I'll dig you out of your grave and kill you myself.

In Tang Hui's case, she had no choice but to return to Sichuan to report on the Human-faced Spider and deal with the aftermath.

"Is it because I'm good at riding men?"

Duan Lihua laughed, putting her fist on her palm.

"..."

Cough! Cough!

Awkward coughs echoed all around.

Duan Lihua’s crude jokes never failed to catch people off guard. She was so unabashedly confident that Zhou Xuchuan found himself at a loss for words.

However, no man dared to chime in and agree with her.

Partly because of Duan Lihua’s sharp aura and partly because those who had spoken too boldly in the past had nearly ended up as fish food.

"No, that's probably not it."

The gazes of the audience turned to one place.

"Kinetosis, otherwise known as motion sickness, is a pathological reaction triggered by vibration-induced stimulation of the autonomic nervous system. The symptoms primarily result from inconsistencies between vestibular senses and visual stimuli. When new sensory information is transmitted to the brain, it’s compared to past equilibrium experiences. If the current input differs from what’s expected, that inconsistency leads to distress. For example, if the body experiences acceleration it has never encountered before, the sensory mismatch—"

"That's more than enough, Elder Divine Physician," Duan Lihua interrupted, her tone weary.

Zhou Xuchuan and the other martial artists shared the same reaction.

As for the sailors, they simply stared at the Divine Physician as if he were speaking an alien language.

The Divine Physician's disciples must be trembling with anxiety again by now.

As they were leaving the Martial Alliance, the eccentric old man followed them.

"I can smell it. The scent of an unknown medicine."

Zhou Xuchuan didn't want to bring this crazy, or rather eccentric old man along. He also didn't want to cause any problems for the Benevolence Clinic.

But the old man had somehow discovered Zhou Xuchuan’s destination and, perhaps by bribing Zhuge Xiang with an elixir, or even coercing the Benevolence Clinic, had unilaterally decided to join.

Although Zhou Xuchuan explained how dangerous Hainan Island was, the old man refused to listen.

Then again, this was a man who had once risked his life traveling alone into the Southern Jungles just to study the Divine Pill of the Au Co.

There was no way he would be afraid of this.

"Captain Zhou, is the theme of the journey this time a 'quirk?'"

"Chu Lian. Shut up."

Zhou Xuchuan’s expression turned serious.

Meanwhile, as Zhou Xuchuan’s ship crossed the sea, the Dark Heavens Association also caught wind of his movements.

No matter how talented Zhuge Xiang was, there was no way the Association wouldn't have found out now that the people who were being watched by them had all left at once.

Even if the Strategist was good at manipulating information, there were limits to one's ability. In fact, it was remarkable they hadn’t caught on the moment he left the Martial Alliance.

"You think he's going to Hainan Island?"

"Yes. He’s stopped at a few locations, but we’ve confirmed that the Gold Will Merchants secretly prepared a ship for him at a port in Guangdong that's headed for Hainan Island," Blessed Existence answered while prostrating himself.

"...hmm."

The Dark Heavens Association Lord tapped his fingers on his armrest.

"What do you think Zhou Xuchuan is thinking?"

"I believe he’s seeking the support of the Hainan Sword Sect in preparation for war with our Association."

"So, Hainan Island..."

The Dark Heavens Association Lord frowned, stroking his chin.

"Can we take advantage of this opportunity?"

"Just leave it to me."

Blessed Existence gritted his teeth inwardly, his eyes burning with cold determination.

***

Although Hainan Island was said to be at the southernmost tip of the Central Plains, that didn't mean that it took several days to cross the sea.

While it was difficult to actually get to the southernmost tip of the Central Plains, it didn't really take that long to cross the sea to the island.

At most, it took two days. At best, just one.

If one encountered a typhoon, the direction of the wind would change, or there was a chance one would have to reach the center of the formation before emerging, which was why it could take some more time than expected.

As for the party, their ship arrived at dawn a day and a half later.

They docked at Haikou, the capital of Hainan Island.

"What the...?"

The party frowned as soon as they got off the ship.

Along with the sea breeze came the thick scent of blood.

1. If you're not familiar with the geography of East Asia, the Evil Valley is situated to the south of China, meaning that if Zhou Xuchuan wanted to get letters from the Righteous Faction, which is at the center of China, their homing pigeons would have to get through Evil Valley territory to get to him on Hainan Island. ☜

2. Normally translated as reading one's pulse, in this case, he's grasping the pulse point to inject Hua Bisheng with qi. ☜