Chapter 203: The Red Spider Vessel
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Zhang Ruochen sat on the little boat with his legs crossed, looked at the smoky lake, and asked, “How should I address you?”
The elder in blue who was rowing the boat stared at Zhang Ruochen with a smile and said, “My surname is He. Everyone calls me Old He.”
“Are you very familiar with Earth Blaze City, Old He?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The elder in blue said with a smile, “I have been running this boat in this Fog-hidden Lake my whole life. I do business with people who come and go in Earth Blaze City. So, how can I not be?”
Zhang Ruochen nodded his head and said, “You boat owners must belong to some guild, don’t you?”
The elder in blue said, “You are a man of great insight. Our Greenlake Union may be nothing in the entire Yunwu Commandery, but we control the import and export hub of the entire Earth Blaze City. There are six piers and 530 ships. In Earth Blaze City, our Greenlake Union is the biggest, except for the Rosefinch Tower, the Hades Department, the Black Tiger Hall, and the Poisonous Spider Club.”
Zhang Ruochen continued by asking, “Does the Hades Department have a branch in Earth Blaze City also?”
The elder in blue thought that Zhang Ruochen wanted to hire a killer in the Hades Department, so he did not think much and said, “Omen Ridge and the Poisonous Spider Club are big powers in the Black Market. Their powers are not limited to Earth Blaze City, or even to the Yunwu Commandery. It is said that the business of the Hades Department and the Poisonous Spider Club has spread to all the 36 commanderies in Omen Ridge.”
The Black Market was a special market that was composed of various small organizations and specialized in the underground transactions that could not see the light of day.
People will always have a dark side, so the Black Market will exist forever.
But, the forces in the Black Market were classified into different levels.
For example, the Hades Department and the Poisonous Spider Club were spread all over the 36 commanderies of Omen Ridge and belonged to the highest level.
The power of the Rosefinch Tower covered the Nine Western Prefectures and belonged to the second level.
The power of the Black Tiger Hall covered the Yunwu Commandery and belonged to the third level.
The power of the Greenlake Union was only limited to Earth Blaze City, so it belonged to the fourth level.
Of course, there were branches of the Hades Department and the Poisonous Spider Club in Earth Blaze City. The Greenlake Union’s headquarters was there.
However powerful the dragon was, it was not necessarily a match for the local snake.
“Splash!”
Suddenly, the sound of battle drums in the distance floated across the surface of the water.
The drumbeat continued to thump and was getting louder and louder. The massive sound shook the water into waves.
A moment later, a steel red ship, more than 200 meters long, sailed toward them at a very fast speed from the distance. It raised the waves up dozens of meters and made a “Swoosh!” sound. This momentum was imbued with the Spirit Conquering Mountains and Rivers.
It was indeed like a moving city of iron and steel.
On the giant vessel stood warriors in purple coats and black trousers. They were all in high spirits and not ordinary warriors. With long black spears in their hands and sharp eyes, they were much stronger than those rabble from the Black Tiger Hall.
“The Red Spider Vessel!”
The elder in blue changed his countenance and moved his Genuine Qi instantly. He quickly rowed the boat backward.
Zhang Ruochen saw the elder’s panicked expression and asked curiously, “Who the hell are they? As far as I know, even the Imperial Court of the Yunwu Commandery doesn’t have a warship that large.”
That warship was indeed powerful. Its body was carved with numberless Inscriptions of Array. As you could imagine, if the Vessel-defending Formation was activated, the unparalleled power that it displayed would not be much less than the Defender Array’s.
The elder in blue said, “The Imperial Court of the Yunwu Commandery isn’t able to build the Red Spider Vessel. It belongs to the Poisonous Spider Club. There are only two of them in the Yunwu Commandery. The power of the Red Spider Vessel is greater than a level nine Genuine Martial Arm’s.
“30 years ago, the last Commandery Prince Zhang Xianyi of the Yunwu Commandery carried the level nine Genuine Martial Arm, Iron Halberd. He personally led 10,000 troops and fought against a warrior in the Heaven Realm from the Poisonous Spider Club in the Yunjiang water area.
“In the end, Zhang Xianyi suffered a sensational defeat and the whole army was wiped out. He was injured badly too, and went back to Yunwu City. He died in the palace a mere half year later. The power of the Red Spider Vessel is unstoppable, even against a warrior in the Heaven Realm. You can see how terrifying its fighting capacity is.”
Zhang Xianyi was the Yunwu Commandery Prince’s father and also Zhang Ruochen’s grandfather. 30 years ago, he was a legendary warrior in the Heaven Realm.
If he had not died, he might have been the superior in the Yunwu Commandery now.
Zhang Ruochen stared at that magnificent warship. On the deck stood many giant savage beasts. There were Fire Tigers with blazing bodies, and Ice Armed Lions glowing with blue light.
At the same time, slaves in shabby clothes stood on the deck. There were so many of them with their arms and legs tied with iron chains. There were giant men, also beautiful and weak women, and some lower-grade slaves.
War slaves and women slaves and servants… The different slaves were put into different areas.
The elder in blue said, “Those are the slaves that the Poisonous Spider Club are transporting to Earth Blaze City, and they will be sent to the small branches of the Black Market in the southeast of the Yunwu Commandery in different batches. Some will become war servants of big families, and some will be playthings on the beds of rich people. Those unattractive lower-grade slaves who haven’t practiced Genuine Qi will be sold to the mine to work as miners.”
Zhang Ruochen looked in another direction, which was the wing room on the Red Spider Vessel. There was a powerful smell coming out of it, which made Zhang Ruochen feel that it was very dangerous.
Zhang Ruochen said reflectively, “It seems that an important figure in the Poisonous Spider Club has come to Earth Blaze City. Now the city is becoming even busier. I’m curious about who else will come too.”
The elder in blue said, “I guess that the important figure of the Poisonous Spider Club is coming here because of the four students from the School of the Martial Market. It is said that one of the students is quite special and will sell for a high price.”
Zhang Ruochen was a little curious and asked, “What’s special about him?”
The elder in blue smiled a bit and stopped talking.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed a handful of silver coins and put them in the old man’s hands.
The elder in blue took the silver coins, smiled, and said, “It is said that the internal student is a princess from a superior class commandery. She is not only pretty, but her cultivation is also very high. When she was captured, she was locked up in the Poisonous Spider Club. They won’t let her go easily and it has been reported to the high-level figures.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression was slightly puzzled. In the entire School of the Martial Market, only Huang Yanchen could be counted as a princess of a superior class commandery.
If the elder in blue was telling the truth, then it would definitely be her.
But, how could this be?
Because Zhang Ruochen was wearing a metal mask, the elder in blue could not see Zhang Ruochen’s facial expressions, and he said, “If the Poisonous Spider Club controls that princess, then they control a huge source of money. They are not worried that the School of the Martial Market and that superior class commandery won’t compromise.”
Zhang Ruochen let out a deep breath and sighed in his mind. The Poisonous Spider Club was a power player in the Black Market and would not be afraid of the School of the Martial Market and the Qianshui Commandery at all.
Of course, if Huang Yanchen was imprisoned by the Poisonous Spider Club, they would not hurt her for the time being. After all, the Poisonous Spider Club was a business group. If they controlled a princess of a superior class commandery, it meant that they possessed very precious cargo.
No matter how high the price was, the Qianshui Commandery Prince would accept it.
“That really is bad news. I hope it’s just a rumor.” Zhang Ruochen sighed.
…
At this moment, on the Red Spider Vessel, senior figures of the Poisonous Spider Club were gathering and discussing the princess of the superior class commandery.
An old man in purple clothes said with a smile, “I never imagined that Princess Yanchen of the Qianshui Commandery would be caught in Earth Blaze City. She is very valuable. The Qianshui Commandery Prince should pay 100 million silver coins.”
“100 million silver coins? Elder Xue, you look down on the Qianshui Commandery too much. Even if we want one billion silver coins, the Qianshui Commandery Prince will agree.” Hua Minggong smiled.
Hua Minggong was the chief director of the Yunwu Commandery in the Poisonous Spider Club. His cultivation reached the Heaven Realm and was much more powerful than Iron Hunchback, the owner of the Black Tiger Hall. He was among the top three in the Black Market in the entire Yunwu Commandery.
Hua Minggong said, “Both the Qianshui Commandery and the Yunwu Commandery will be ruthlessly blackmailed.”
On the table sat a young man in a golden robe. He had a sharp machete and said with an evil smile, “It is said that Commandery Princess Yanchen is engaged to the Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery and is extremely beautiful. I really want to meet her right now.”
Hua Minggong looked at the young man and said seriously, “Qingshan, if you want other women, I’ll give you as many as you want. But this is the Commandery Princess Yanchen. You can never touch her. “She will bring massive wealth to our Poisonous Spider Club. If you ruin this, I won’t forgive you.”
Hua Qingshan was the only son of Hua Minggong and very gifted. His cultivation was more powerful than many of the older Martial Arts masters. However, he had a hobby, which was women.
Hua Minggong knew very well about his son’s natural instincts, so he had to tell him the importance of this.
If something happened to Commandery Princess Yanchen, it would irritate the Qianshui Commandery Prince, rather than allow them to exchange vast amounts of wealth with him. It would be a great disaster for the Poisonous Spider Club.
“I know!” Hua Qingshan had an evil smile.
He thought that his father was overcautious. The Poisonous Spider Club was a big power in the Black Market and protected by it. Even if they offended the Qianshui Commandery, would they wipe out the Poisonous Spider Club?
