Chapter 1786 (Raw 1798): The Team Gathers Again
Xiao Chen toyed with the Iron Blood Token in his hand and gave the Wolf King Jiang Hengchuan a meaningful look. “You’d better pray for good luck.”
“Many thanks.” The Wolf King performed a cupped-fist salute as he forced himself to speak.
“Whoosh!”
Right after the Wolf King spoke, Xiao Chen left the courtyard with a few flashes, returning to the inn where he was staying.
His white robes appeared outstanding as he walked on the street. He looked calm and unhurried, with no fluctuations in his expression.
Xiao Chen did not seem like a person who had caused a tremendous commotion at the Wolf King’s birthday banquet, not at all like the tyrannical white-clad bladesman.
He blended into the crowd. Aside from his somewhat eye-catching white robes, he did not look too different.
When Xiao Chen returned to the inn, he was surprised to discover that his tea was still there.
The waiter had left the tea set there, and the fire had not extinguished yet, still giving off warmth.
However, the waiter had already gone to entertain other guests.
Xiao Chen sat down and looked at the teacup. The White Harmonious Flower Song tea leaves at the bottom had already completely unfolded and released their flavor.
However, it had been too long. The tea had already cooled, devoid of all warmth.
Tea should be drunk hot, not warm, and all the more, not cold.
One could taste the best flavor from tea only when it was piping hot.
Xiao Chen did not mind, downing the cold tea in one go.
The tea tasted somewhat bitter, possessing none of the various flavors of the White Harmonious Flower Song. However, there was a certain charm to it, allowing Xiao Chen, who just returned from a huge battle, to experience it more deeply.
“Young Master, you’ve returned?”
The waiter possessed sharp eyes. He quickly discovered Xiao Chen and immediately rushed over. “I heard that someone challenged the Wolf King at the Wolf King’s birthday banquet. There was even a fierce endless battle going on. This is apparently true.
“All the experts in the inn headed over. Unfortunately, I can’t go. I really want to see who exactly it is. To think that he is so bold, daring to mock even the Wolf King!”
Xiao Chen put down the teacup and smiled. “So near and yet so far.”
“Ah!”
The surprised waiter nearly dropped the teapot in his hand.
By the time the waiter recovered his wits, Xiao Chen had already left.
Inside Xiao Chen’s room, he took out the Blood-Soaked Dragon Emperor’s sculpture, which was badly damaged. If the Wolf King had not admitted defeat, this sculpture would not have lasted much longer.
Even if the sculpture could last, Xiao Chen would not have dared to continue making it fight.
While carving the Blood-Soaked Dragon Emperor’s sculpture, he had put in a lot of effort and essence blood.
When Xiao Chen was controlling the Blood-Soaked Dragon Emperor sculpture, his Magic Energy had flowed like a gushing river, leaking continuously.
Others saw only the Blood-Soaked Dragon Emperor sweeping through the place and killing but not the drain on his Magic Energy.
Xiao Chen’s drawing his saber and challenging the Wolf King to a battle looked crazy, but it was merely him trying to end the fight quickly, willing to risk death.
As the saying went, he who is not afraid of death by a thousand cuts dares to unhorse the emperor. This applied to the earlier Xiao Chen.
However, this Wolf King Jiang Hengchuan was also rather smart. At the start of the fight, he had taken the initiative to admit defeat. By doing so, he protected not only himself but also what remained of the Wolf Smoke Pirate Group.
Xiao Chen originally planned not to leave without killing off the entire Wolf Smoke Pirate Group and the Wolf King.
There was no need to doubt this. As long as he was willing to pay the price, nothing was a problem.
Xiao Chen put down the Blood-Soaked Dragon Emperor sculpture and took out the Iron Blood Token. Then, his gaze turned serious.
He hoped that his brothers on board the Black Cutlass were all fine.
If anything happened, even killing everyone from the Wolf Smoke Pirate Group would not make up for it.
Damn it, the Wolf King is right.
Why did that bunch of fools go to the Grave Island Sea Region?
You lot had better come back alive. I need to give you all a good scolding before my anger can be appeased!
Xiao Chen clutched the Iron Blood Token with his right hand, which was trembling slightly. Even when he was facing the Wolf King, his eyelids had not twitched at all.
However, his hand trembled at this moment of extreme helplessness.
The melancholy of that cup of bitter tea lingered in his mouth, still yet to disappear.
——
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed, and there was still no news of the Black Cutlass.
Xiao Chen could no longer keep waiting. He prepared to find a ship to make a trip to the Grave Island Sea Region.
Traveling alone and not relying on a pirate ship would be suicide even if he was just going to the edges, not to mention the Grave Island Sea Region.
Nevertheless, due to force of circumstance, Xiao Chen felt that he had to make the trip.
However, just as Xiao Chen was preparing to go out, he happened to see Luo Nan, Fei`er, and the others outside the inn.
“Captain!”
“Big Brother Xiao!”
When Xiao Suo, Fei`er, and the others saw Xiao Chen at the door, they dashed over without any care for appearances.
Xiao Chen somewhat could not believe his eyes, thinking that it was just an illusion.
The Iron Hand Yama laughed and gave Xiao Chen a bear hug. Only then did Xiao Chen believe that they returned.
“You all…” Xiao Chen counted. Luo Nan, Fei`er, Elder Tang, Xiao Suo, the Iron Hand Yama, and the rest of the crew of the Black Cutlass were all present.
Fei`er’s eyes turned somewhat moist. “Big Brother Xiao, I thought I would never see you again.”
The heart of Xiao Chen, who originally wanted to scold these people, instantly softened; he could not scold them.
Xiao Chen smiled helplessly. “Little Fei`er, stop crying. Let’s go to my room.”
After entering Xiao Chen’s room, Xiao Suo organized his thoughts and said, “After we came out, we heard that Captain challenged the Wolf Smoke Pirate Group. At that time, we felt really happy.
“To think that you still worried about us. We were sure that you would continue to wait for us, so we rushed over here through the night, without resting at all.
The Iron Hand Yama sighed, “This time was truly dangerous. We nearly did not return. That bastard almost caused our deaths. Xiao Chen, you have helped us vent our frustration. Back then, that old bastard ridiculed all of us for a long time when he saw me.”
When Xiao Chen saw everyone, he immediately asked the questions buried in his heart.
Everyone immediately fell silent. After a long time, Elder Tang said, “I am to blame for this. I already know where the Scarlet Blood Pirate King’s treasure is. However, we needed the Iron Blood Token to go to the forbidden sea. So—”
Fei`er interjected, “Elder Tang can’t be blamed. Back then, we were thinking that we could obtain the Iron Blood Token, then wait for Big Brother Xiao and go to the forbidden sea together. We cannot always rely on Big Brother Xiao for everything. So, we felt that we could give it a try.”
Xiao Chen thought to himself, So, that is the case. It is about the same as I expected.
The treasure of the Scarlet Blood Pirate King was indeed in one of the forbidden seas. The crew could go to the forbidden sea only by obtaining the Iron Blood Token.
Fei`er and the others just wanted to give Xiao Chen a pleasant surprise.
At the same time, they did not want Xiao Chen to go to the Grave Island Sea Region with them, not wanting Xiao Chen to take the risk.
Xiao Chen wanted to rebuke them but did not know where to start.
However, just at this moment, Xiao Suo’s expression suddenly turned somewhat serious as he said, “Young Master Xiao, I have something to tell you.”
Xiao Chen saw everyone’s expression turn somewhat off. His heart sank with foreboding.
“What is it? Just tell me.”
“We lost the Scarlet Blood War Banner.”
“Lost it?”
Xiao Chen’s expression did not change, but shock flooded his heart. The Scarlet Blood War Banner was crucial for finding the Scarlet Blood Pirate King’s treasure.
If the Scarlet Blood War Banner was lost, it was as good as losing the treasure.
However, Xiao Chen was a free and easy person. After a slight fluctuation in emotion, he quickly regained his equilibrium.
If the Scarlet Blood War Banner was lost, then he could only head for the Central Great Realm in advance.
Xiao Chen had to think carefully about whether to head directly for the Dragon Race’s territory or visit the Yanwu Dynasty or the Tianwu Dynasty first to understand the situation of the Central Great Realm.
“Big Brother Xiao Chen, you are not angry?” Fei`er eyed Xiao Chen nervously.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and looked at Xiao Suo. “Don’t be sad. In the end, Xiao Suo was the one who bid for the war banner. It does not belong to me. There is no need to blame yourselves.
“You all being able to return alive is better than anything else. There are many fortuitous encounters in the world, but you have only one life. Seriously, don’t take such risks again in the future.”
Xiao Chen’s words came from his heart; they were very sincere. This made Fei`er and the others all feel warm.
The Iron Hand Yama hesitated before saying, “Actually, it is not really lost. Given my understanding of that person, I feel that he will eventually return the Scarlet Blood War Banner. He won’t stoop to snatching our things.”
When Xiao Chen heard that, he was slightly stunned. Could there be more to this?
“What exactly happened?”
The Iron Hand Yama said, “I just said that we nearly could not return, right? We were rescued in the Grave Island Sea Region. Back then, someone rescued us. At that time, Xiao Suo was using the Scarlet Blood War Banner to fight.
“That was where the problem arose. After that person rescued us, he suddenly said that he wanted to borrow the Scarlet Blood War Banner to take a look and that he would return it to us the next time he saw us.
“The other party is very strong, and his pirate group is even stronger. While it was phrased as ‘borrowed, we actually had no way of rejecting him.”
