Zhang Yang tilted his head and thought carefully.
"I'm not sure how many are from King Mo's side, but when they asked me to take the Qing King Wood from Qingcheng Mountain, they said something."
"They said it was the last one, and once they obtained it, they would stop." Zhang Yang said.
The last one!
Upon hearing this news, Zhu Tai and the others' pupils widened!
"So, King Mo has found the other ones too? If that's the case..."
"Aren't these descendants of King Mo planning to resurrect King Mo?" Zhu Tai exclaimed.
Hong Tao and Hu Han Tian were also surprised.
They all looked at each other, clearly agreeing with Zhu Tai's guess.
At this moment!
Zhu Tai quickly looked at Zhang Yang and said proactively.
"Zhang Tang, I have a presumptuous request, and I hope you can grant it!"
"What?" Zhang Yang was stunned, but he had already guessed what the other party wanted to say.
"We want to exchange the treasures of the royal family for the Qing King Wood in your hand," Zhu Tai said.
"Exchange?" Zhang Yang was wary, then shook his head.
"I won't exchange it. This Qing King Wood is very valuable, and you definitely don't have anything comparable. Moreover, even if you take my Qing King Wood, it will be of no use to you."
Zhu Tai shook his head and chuckled.
"Not necessarily. Our royal treasury has many rare treasures, and you can choose whatever you like. And while we won't snatch your Qing King Wood, you understand the principle that innocence is no protection against the possession of valuable items, right?"
"This solitary Qing King Wood is completely useless to you. It's better to exchange it with us. Perhaps we can find the other ones."
Hearing this.
Zhang Yang smiled inwardly.
As expected.
No one can resist the temptation of resurrection.
"Are you planning to find King Mo's people and snatch the other Qing King Wood? That might be difficult. Even I don't know where they are," Zhang Yang said.
"Heh, you don't need to worry about that. We have our ways. As long as you are willing to exchange with us, and once we find the other Qing King Wood and revive King Ming, and he reclaims the kingdom, you will be a great contributor!" Zhu Tai said excitedly.
"This..." Zhang Yang hesitated again.
But he was already overjoyed. It seemed Zhu Tai had believed his words.
"You brat, stop hesitating. We, the descendants of King Ming, keep our promises. Otherwise, we would have taken your Qing King Wood by force right now. What could you do?" Hu Han Tian urged.
His temper was like that, saying whatever came to his mind.
"Zhang Tang, just agree. Exchanging the Qing King Wood with us will only benefit you and bring no harm. Don't worry, we will definitely not treat you unfairly," Hong Tao also said.
The others also persuaded him, wanting Zhang Yang to agree.
"..."
Zhang Yang looked at them, filled with surprise.
These people, whom the Emperor called pirates, were actually full of gentlemanly demeanor, not at all like bandits.
Was there something going on that he didn't know about?
"Alright, I'll exchange it with you," Zhang Yang agreed.
Upon hearing Zhang Yang's willingness to exchange, Zhu Tai and the others breathed a sigh of relief, their faces beaming with smiles.
"Haha, let's go, we'll set sail now and head to Central Island! You can choose whatever you want from the treasury!"
"Ah? What about this martial arts competition? Isn't there still the last match?" Zhang Yang asked suspiciously.
"You brat, do you really want me to swim back?" Hu Han Tian glared at Zhang Yang with a playful scolding.
"Not really," Zhang Yang said sheepishly, rubbing his head and smiling.
Instantly.
The others also burst into hearty laughter.
Then.
Zhu Tai directly walked to the presiding stage and announced the end of this year's martial arts competition.
As for the rewards for the top ten.
They were to be divided equally, with no difference in ranking.
This outcome, while strange to the other nine martial arts families.
They could accept the equal distribution of rewards, so they didn't say anything.
...
In the blink of an eye.
The ship arrived at Linhai City.
The participating teams and spectators disembarked, but Zhang Yang remained on the ship.
"You guys go back first. Zhu Tai just said that someone will specially deliver the rewards to the martial arts school. As for the Zhao family, you don't need to worry, they won't dare to do anything to you," Zhang Yang said.
"Thank you, senior, for securing the rewards for Tianying Martial Arts School. We are deeply grateful!" Yun Ying, leading Yun Fang and others, bowed to Zhang Yang.
"There's no need to be so polite, Master. We are merely benefiting each other," Zhang Yang said with a smile.
"Then... Senior, Central Island is a complex place. Please be careful in the future," Yun Ying said subtly.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Zhang Yang said with a smile, waving his hand.
If he didn't have the skills, why would he venture into danger?
Since he had shown the Qing King Wood, Zhu Tai and the others' attitude towards him had become even better.
Zhang Yang felt even more compelled to visit Central Island.
However...
Zhang Yang was not in a hurry to act.
Because from their brief interaction, he felt that Zhu Tai and the others were decent people.
He wanted to understand more about the unknown situation before making a decision.
...
After bidding farewell to Yun Ying and the others.
Zhang Yang and Zhu Tai's group took a ship to Central Island.
Central Island was just a name used in Linhai City, and it was not accurate.
To be precise, it was an archipelago.
Dozens of small islands guarded the largest island in the center.
On the ship.
Zhang Yang could see the people living on the other small islands.
There were elderly people, adults, and children.
"Have they always lived here?" Zhang Yang asked curiously.
"The children have lived here since birth. As for the others, they all migrated from China. When King Ming was defeated, we came south together to live at sea," Zhu Tai explained.
"These people are descendants of the former imperial guards, commanders, and generals. Of course, there are also citizens who used to live in the capital. However, as the saying goes, 'one emperor, one court,' when King Ming was defeated, they all came with us."
Zhang Yang nodded silently upon hearing this.
The closer they got to Central Island, the more Zhang Yang became puzzled.
Whether it was Zhu Tai and his group, or the people living here.
Zhang Yang's impression was not like the fierce, cold-blooded, and unreasonable people described in Xiao Zhan's intelligence.
Instead, they were very approachable.
What was going on?
"There's something I'm very curious about. Why does China call you pirates?" Zhang Yang asked.
"Heh, pirates? That's just a distorted name they gave us. How could we, the descendants of the royal family, do such piratical deeds?" Hong Tao snorted indignantly.
"Exactly! The current Emperor is truly not a good person. We clearly agreed..." Hu Han Tian also became angry and was about to say something when Zhu Tai quickly interrupted him.
"Alright, stop talking. It's all in the past, no need to mention it," Zhu Tai stopped him.
This made Zhang Yang very curious. It seemed there was indeed a hidden story!
However.
Seeing that Zhu Tai did not wish to mention it, Zhang Yang did not press further.
Besides, the ship had already docked, and they were about to enter Central Island.