155: Chapter 155 Boiling a Frog in Slow Water

Heyuan, Deep Water Harbor.

Xieyuan Villa.

An elderly man, around sixty years old and full of energy, slowly walked into Cui Ruiyuan's study.

Seeing that Cui Ruiyuan was busy with official business, the old man did not speak, but simply stood silently to the side.

Once Cui Ruiyuan set aside his work, the old man bowed and said, "Family Head, there has been a reply from the Wuyang Pei Clan."

Cui Ruiyuan looked up slightly, an imperceptible flicker of emotion passing through his eyes.

At that moment, the old man hurried forward, placed the letter on the desk, and then quietly exited the study.

After the study door closed, Cui Ruiyuan finally opened the letter.

As he read the contents, Cui Ruiyuan's expression became increasingly grim.

"Fifty percent of the profits, and they even want to participate in the management of my Deep Water Harbor. These conditions are simply ridiculous." Cui Ruiyuan put down the letter, his voice thick with anger.

He had originally thought that twenty percent of the profits would be enough to satisfy Pei Qingyun's appetite.

He hadn't expected Pei Qingyun to be greedy to such an extent.

This was no longer just eating the Cui Clan's meat; it was sucking the Cui Clan's blood.

If he agreed to these terms, the autonomy of Deep Water Harbor would no longer fully belong to the Cui Clan.

Alongside his anger, Cui Ruiyuan felt a sense of desolation in his heart.

After the fall of the Cui Grandmaster, the situation was far worse than he had imagined.

He had thought that if they could just hold on for a few more years, until the next Grandmaster of the Cui Clan was born,

Then all their problems would be solved.

But as it turned out, let alone a few years, even if the Cui Clan gave its all, they could barely last six months.

Could it be that they really had to wait until they reached a dead end?

The Luo Clan's Grandmaster could not be relied upon, and the same was likely true for the other families they were related to by marriage.

Even if he invited another Grandmaster, would it really solve the Cui Clan's predicament?

If the other party was like Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng, would his Cui Clan have to support yet another 'overlord'?

Thinking of this, a sense of helplessness he had never felt before rose in Cui Ruiyuan's heart.

...

Located a hundred miles east of Deep Water Harbor.

Over a dozen pirate ships, flying the red skull flag, slowly sailed toward a small island in the distance against the sea breeze.

On the lead pirate ship, a man dressed in white robes stood on the deck, quietly gazing at a ferry crossing on the island.

Suddenly.

A figure slowly emerged from the cabin.

The newcomer was a middle-aged, burly man with bare arms. His thick, powerful arms were covered in muscles that knotted like coiled dragons, giving off a sense of incomparable strength.

Across his forehead was a dark brown scar, like a torn chasm, which was quite shocking to behold.

A single glance was enough to inspire awe and fear.

And yet, such a man,

When he noticed where the white-robed man was standing on the deck, the muscles in his arms instinctively tightened, and a trace of fear appeared in his eyes.

At that moment, the white-robed man seemed to sense the movement behind him and slowly turned around.

Seeing the white-robed man turn, the burly man lowered his head slightly, his face immediately showing a look of respect, not daring to look the white-robed man in the eye.

The white-robed man looked to be only in his thirties. His eyes were bright and clear, and his face was soft yet calm, without any sense of sharpness. The first impression he gave was that of a refined gentleman.

But this very gentleman was the creator of the Gale Pirates and their current Chief, Yuwen Kuang.

True to his name, Yuwen Kuang's actions were extremely arrogant and wild.

Yet his appearance was completely at odds with his temperament. This caused many who saw him to have a false impression.

Yuwen Kuang's voice was not loud; instead, it had a gentle quality. "Old Fourth, has the Cui Clan made any other moves lately?"

But upon hearing Yuwen Kuang's voice, the burly man immediately became tense and said cautiously, "Boss, the Cui Clan hasn't sent out a ship in over half a month. From the looks of it, they don't seem to have any plans to sail anytime soon. What do you think our next move should be?"

Yuwen Kuang chuckled, a hint of disdain appearing in his eyes.

If the Cui Clan had chosen to risk everything, completely blockading the news of their ships and secretly mobilizing their escort fleet for a desperate fight, he might have thought more highly of them.

It might have even caused him a bit of trouble.

Of course, it would only be trouble; it would be impossible for them to turn the tables.

Unfortunately, the Cui Clan lacked the courage to fight to the death.

Therefore, the Cui Clan's decision was entirely within his expectations.

In his eyes, the Cui Clan was already a turtle in a jar.

This choice was merely a struggle before death.

Without the support of the Deep Water Harbor business, the Cui Clan's source of income was completely cut off.

How long could such a Cui Clan last?

A month, three months, or half a year?

What's more, the Cui Clan was still hosting a 'great master' in their home.

After a moment, Yuwen Kuang spoke, "Since the Cui Clan is willing to play the shrinking turtle, then we will wait. We have plenty of time to play with them."

"Wait?" A flash of doubt appeared in the burly man's eyes.

Over the past six months, they had carried out multiple raids against the Cui Clan. Under Yuwen Kuang's arrangements, every operation had gone smoothly. In these six months, they had made a fortune.

However, the silver obtained from the raids was not divided equally among every pirate; most of it went into Yuwen Kuang's hands.

The Gale Pirates were dissatisfied, but no one dared to complain openly.

Of course, another important point was that even if the share for ordinary pirates wasn't much, it was still a good income for them.

However, pirates living such a dangerous life often wouldn't keep a single cent on them.

If the money wasn't spent before they died, that would be their greatest pain.

Having grown accustomed to the good life of plundering, they felt like something was missing without any Cui Family Merchant Ships to raid.

Furthermore, these successive successful raids had caused their ambitions to grow wildly, and they no longer took the Cui Clan seriously.

In his view, the Cui Clan was like a soft-shelled shrimp, simply incapable of taking a blow.

Even a direct attack on Deep Water Harbor would be easy. If they could take down the Cui Clan in one fell swoop, they could solve the problem once and for all and wouldn't have to share the profits with other forces.

Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?

"What, do you have doubts?" Yuwen Kuang didn't explain, but merely gave the burly man a faint glance.

Hearing this, the burly man was startled and hurriedly replied, "No."

Although he was already the Fourth Chief of the Gale Pirates, he was well aware of Yuwen Kuang's cruelty.

Yuwen Kuang was a true dictator and executioner; any decision he made was not to be questioned.

On this point, let alone him not daring to react, even if all the Chiefs stood together, it wouldn't matter.